


Grow Up

by Aunder



Series: GP!Universe [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Frisk is a Sweetheart, Frisk keeps their eyes closed mostly, Frisk stays with Toriel, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Goatmom, Insomniac Frisk, Monsters are awesome, POV Frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-12-11 17:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aunder/pseuds/Aunder
Summary: A story to give Frisk a 'normal' childhood.Frisk's Current Age Group:AGE : 7-8 : CHAPTERS ONE-EIGHT : COMPLETEDAGE : 9-10 : CHAPTERS EIGHT-????? : In Progress_______________________________Edits Made Over the Month of October.Edits completed._______________________________Dedicated to a few of my fav authors on AO3!•	For Reyna_is_epic, simplelovelyfanfics, TiniBopper, Sunfreckle, Voice_of_Mischief.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reyna_is_epic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyna_is_epic/gifts), [simplelovelyfanfics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplelovelyfanfics/gifts), [TiniBopper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiniBopper/gifts), [Sunfreckle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunfreckle/gifts), [Voice_of_Mischief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voice_of_Mischief/gifts).



> F I L E _ S A V E D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/10/2017

Timeline Number Seventeen

 

 

> Chara      LV 1      154:36
> 
> Waterfall – Undyne Arena
> 
> > Continue         Reset
> 
>  
> 
> . . .
> 
>  
> 
> Chara      LV 2      183:25
> 
> Waterfall – Undyne Arena
> 
> Continue      > Reset
> 
>  
> 
> Long ago, two races ruled over Earth:
> 
> Humans and Monsters.
> 
> One day, a war broke out between the two races.
> 
> After a long battle, the humans were victorious.
> 
> They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.
> 
> Many years later. . .
> 
> MT. Ebott
> 
> 201X
> 
> Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return.
> 
>  
> 
> UNDERTALE
> 
> [ PRESS 2 OR ENTER]
> 
>  
> 
> A name has already been chosen.
> 
> Chara
> 
> No      > Yes


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/10/2017

You wake up with a start, golden colors lace your vision. Your heart rate starts to fall as you take a gulp of crisp, clean air. Eyes partially closed, you peer around the room as you sit up.

 

And panic at the sight of golden flowers.

You scream, pushing yourself away from them until your back hits the wall.

_These flowers make you uneasy._

So you avoid them, inch yourself to your feet and walk around them to the other side of the room. You easily spy the door leading out and walk through the ornate archway. You take a quick look around the room and discover that you’re indeed alone in the room. Making your way into the spotlight, and sitting down with a sigh of relief. _You don’t know what you expected, but you’re glad to be alone_.

“Howdy!”

You yelp, and end up on your back in your attempt to face the spotlight. As you sit up, you are immediately unnerved to see one of the golden flowers in front of you smiling like a small child.

It tilts its head in confusion. “Whats’ wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Your breathing quickens, _something is incredibly wrong here_.

“oh, oH, OH!” The flower smiles a little too wide to be natural. “OH THIS IS TOO RICH! WOW, WERE YOU ACTUALLY EXPECTING TO SEE HIM HERE?”

The flower is laughing now, _who did it mean by him?_ It’s your turn to look confused, as the flower stops laughing to examine you

“Huh? You don’t remember? That’s…” The flower’s smile wanes for a moment, then somehow gets even wider. “ _ThAt’s pErfEct_.”

You are surrounded by a void of black without warning. With only a red heart floating in a white box visible to you. You startle, before leaning forward to peer at the small glowing shape.

A laugh draws your attention away from the heart. _You realize why you’re so afraid of flowers_.

The flower’s face has warped into something pure evil, its voice demonic and full of amusement.

“ _LEt’s stArt wIth IntrOdUctIOns. I’m **FLOWEY**. **FLOWEY** thE **FLOWER**. YOU’rE nOt from ArOUnd hErE, ArE yOU_?”

 **Flowey** starts to shoot small white dots at the heart. You collapse from the sudden pain, glancing up to see 10 **HP** has dropped to 7.

“ _SOmEOnE OUghtA tEAch yOU hOw thIngs wOrk ArOUnd hErE. And dOwn hErE, **It’s KILL, OR BE KILLED.**_ ”

You double over in pain as the ache increases further. 4 **HP** left.

The tears well up in your eyes as _you will it to_ _stop_.

_p-please._

 “ ** _DIE_.** ”

 **Flowey** surrounds the heart in bullets, and you prepare for the worst.

_this wasn’t the plan_

_not like this_

_please_

1 **HP**

**Flowey is laughing maniacally.**

_someone_

_anyone!_

**_Y o u   C a l l   F o r   H e l p_ **

The pain disappears as fast as it came. You look up, **HP** is back at 10.

 **Flowey** looks just as confused for a moment, before fleeing from an odd white ball of fire with a smile.

 **_W h a t_ ** _?_

As quick as the flower left, another being entered the enclosed black space. You stare through half-lidded eyes at a tall, friendly-looking goat, sheep thing.

“What a horrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth.”

They had a soft, feminine voice, comforting and warm. Whatever she was, her eyes found yours. However you remember the flower and shrink back. The female sheep-goat took a step back politely. Yet there was hurt and worry visible in her eyes.

“Have no fear, my child.” _Her child?_ “I will not hurt you. I am **TORIEL** , **Caretaker of the Ruins**.”

She seemed nice enough, but you supposed _it wouldn’t hurt to be careful._

The black faded, and you were back in the spotlight from before, **Toriel** standing in front of you.

You immediately look around the room for **Flowey** , worried it was hiding in the shadows.

 **Toriel** seems worried about you.

“He will not harm you anymore my child, you are safe now.”

 You nod slowly, pushing yourself to your feet.

“Do not worry my child, you are safe. Come!” **Toriel** gestured for you to follow as she walked towards the exit opposite your entrance. “I will guide you through the catacombs.”

You hurry after **Toriel** , trying to _make sure you stick as close to her as possible._

You enter a large room full of purple and decide that must be **Toriel’s** favorite color. There’s a double staircase leading up to a door, with bright red leaves in-between them. You follow **Toriel** up and through the door, listening to her talk of puzzles, **FIGHTs** , and talking to dummies. _The dummy unnerves you, and you end up wanting to **F L E E**._

You expect **Toriel** to be disappointed, instead you get encouragement and a promise of protection. Soon you encounter another Monster, as she called them, and you end up running away.

She holds your hand through a maze of spikes, and by the time the two of you reach a long hallway, you’ve found you’re quite attached to **Toriel**. So when she apologizes for having you walk down a seemingly empty hallway, you worry. She disappears at the end faster than you can keep up with, and you stop to catch your breath. You feel chills run down your back, you turn around to see Flowey sitting there with a childish grin.

“I can’t wait to see what you do this time, _my little **monarch**_.”

A giggle then he’s gone.

Spooked by his words, and his ability to keep up, you hurry down the hallway. Once you reach the end, Toriel appears behind a pillar, and you cling to her dress.

“Oh, were you scared young one?”

She rests her hand on your head, and you nod. _It looks like **Toriel** wants say something, but instead she leaves the silence for a little longer._

“Are you alright now, my child?”

You nod, shakily taking step back from **Toriel**. You raise your head to meet her kind gaze.

She smiles warmly and rubs your head.

“All better, now then, shall we proceed forward?”

You nod, but something tells you that _this was a journey you should’ve made alone_.

 

You encounter several more monsters, all of which you ran from, keeping close to **Toriel** , and avoiding conflict when able. It felt _better, safer, this way._ **Toriel** seemed happy with you clinging to her.

She seemed to be lost in thought as you munch on a candy found rooms prior. You decide to take a chance and tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

“Yes, my child?”

**What’s wrong?**

She sighs lightly. “My, you are quite the observant child. Since you asked, which do you prefer, cinnamon or butterscotch?”

You tap your chin in thought. Both were delicious unless she was talking about on their own…

“The truth is, when I saw you, I felt as if I was seeing an old friend for the first time. So I thought maybe it might be cinnamon.”

You like _cinnamon_ , but you decide that **b u t t e r s c o t c h** would be better, especially if it’s candy.

“Butterscotch?”

You nod. **Toriel** seems much more at ease now.

“Alright, thank you for helping me, small one.”

You continue on in silence, hiding from other monsters, with the occasional puzzle help from **Toriel**. It’s while later, as you try to push a rock on a button that she speaks up again.

“I know your preference but, do you dislike cinnamon?”

You pause, and shake your head before returning to push the rock. She nods to herself and helps you finish the puzzle before moving on to the next room.

You find you are surprised to see a white blob blocking the way. Toriel sighs.

“That is **Napstablook**. I see the poor soul here every now and again, he always looks so upset. I never am able to approach him however, as he always disappears before I can reach him.”

You can’t stand someone being sad all the time if you can help it.

So with **Toriel’s** watchful eyes on you, you approach.

 _This ghost keeps saying ‘Z’ out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep._ You wonder how to move him, and decide to gently nudge him awake.

Then you’re back in the void, with the red heart in front of you.

_Here comes Napstablook._

Somehow, he’s not as scary as you thought it might be. You **ACT** , trying to cheer him up. _He seems just a little bit better._

Then the tears fall from his eyes into the box, and the **HP** falls back down to 7. You decide to try cheering him up again. It works twice, and this time nothing comes. You cheer him one more time, watching as **Napstablook** makes a top hat out of tears.

“I call it, Dapperblook.”

You give him a thumbs up and a smile.

“Oh….”

The black fades away to the original setting. **Toriel** looks like she wants to rush to you but is holding back.

“I usually come to the **Ruins** because there’s nobody around, but today I met somebody nice…”

You smile encouragingly.

“Oh, I’m rambling again, I’ll get out of your way…”

He disappeared. You felt sad to see him go, he seemed really nice.

You jump at **Toriel’s** hand on your shoulder and peer up at her for praise. She’s smiling at you warmly, before taking your hand to lead you onward. You meet a few spiders, ending up seeing more Froggits that don’t attack you and solve another puzzle with **Toriel**.

Soon, you reach a room with a tiny house front, and a leafless tree in the middle of the ‘yard’.

 **Toriel** leads you inside.

“Welcome to your new home, innocent one.”

She then gives you the first room in the hallway to the right. **Toriel** watches as you wander around, peering at the toys, and dusting off an empty picture frame. You purposely ignore the closet of dusty clothes, and the shoes of different sizes in the corner, to sit on the bed and bounce a bit. Despite the aura of sadness that seems to leak from the room,    ** _y o u   b e l i e v e   y o u   w i l l   b e   h a p p y   h e r e ._**

 **Toriel** excuses herself and leaves you alone.

You sit a while longer, looking around the room, before dusting off a large toy dummy and lying down on the bed for a nap.

You wake up to darkness, and your breath quickens before your eyes adjust. You wonder what woke you, then see the large piece of pie in the middle of the floor. You look around the room carefully, before fully opening your eyes to examine the food in question. It definitely smelled delicious, and **_Toriel_** _was nice thus far. She wouldn’t try to hurt you_ , right? You end up eating the pie in a few bites. _You’d deal with the consequences later._ You set the stuffed monster on the bed, and carry the plate off to find **Toriel**.

After a bit of wandering, you find her sitting by the fire reading a book. It takes her a moment to notice you, and you hold up the plate to _ask where it goes._ **Toriel** chuckles, setting her book to the side.

“You ate it so quickly? Well, you needn’t trouble yourself with cleaning up. Let me take it.” You nod slowly, and **Toriel** stands to take your plate.

You follow her to the kitchen, sitting silently at the counter to watch her wash the dish, put it away in the cupboards, and put the leftover pie in the fridge. You notice a couple of name brand chocolate bars inside, among a plethora of other foods. Did Toriel already eat? Did she need to eat? If she didn’t need to eat, then why did she have so much food?

You sit absentmindedly for a while, thinking about your strange new caretaker, not realizing **Toriel** is calling you.

“My child?” A gentle hand on your shoulder startles you from your thoughts. “Are you alright?”

Her worried brown eyes bore into you. You smile lightly at her and nod, giving her hand a pat.

She nods hesitantly at you, still worried. You decide to take the initiative, and pry a book from the bookshelf before gesturing for her to sit. **Toriel** chuckles and takes a seat in her chair. Carefully, you climb up onto her lap and decisively open the book to the beginning.

“You want me,” she hesitates “to read to you?”

You nod, and **Toriel** took a deep breath.

“Alright then, this book is titled, _The Hammer of Justice: A Collection of Short Stories by_ …”

 

 

 

 

 **Flowey** looked on from the shadows of the window, an odd look on his face.

 

 “ _So, staying a while this time around?_ ” He giggled. “ _We’ll see how long that lasts._ ”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/10/2017

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve fallen down. **Toriel** seems happy to have you here, although her fridge seems to be running out of food, she’s reluctant to let you be alone in the house for long. But today **Toriel** would take you bug hunting, you were quite excited to be able to leave the house.

“Do you have everything, my child?”

You nod. You still hadn’t the courage to tell her your name. Somehow you had gotten on just fine communicating visually, and you never did learn how to write. Perhaps one day, you could have her teach you.

“Alright.”

**Toriel** put a small sign on the door, ‘Going out’, and took the hand that wasn’t holding a mini net. She smiled warmly down at you.

“Let us be off then.”

This time around, you were much more excited to be in the **Ruins** , tugging on **Toriel’s** hand to let you look at a tiny Froggit in the wall, and waving at the Whimsuns that fluttered in corners. **Toriel** seemed to enjoy your newfound confidence, and you felt much _safer around Monsters_ than before.

When you finally reached **Toriel’s** bug-hunting spot, you were amazed at all of the tiny insects that roamed around. You noticed a small crack of light up above and assume _they came from there._

“The bugs here come mostly from the surface. They can enter, but cannot leave.”

You and Toriel are startled by the presence of a Froggit, who laments sadly on these words before hopping away. You grip **Toriel’s** hand tighter, before looking up at her in question. She sighs and pats your head.

“That will be a lesson for another day. Now,” Her eyes light up excitedly “it is time to catch some bugs!”

She gently shows you how to sneak up on an insect, catch it, and put it into a small jar. You find that it’s quite fun to catch the bugs, and have gathered quite a few after a short period. You fail to catch a particularly difficult beetle for a while when it flies onto **Toriel’s** head unnoticed by her. You ready your net and stare at the beetle on her head.

**Toriel** decides then to take notice of your stare. “What is it, my child?”

_Knowing that the little beetle will surely be caught, **F I L L S   Y O U   W I T H   D E T E R M I N A T I O N .**_

You jump off a broken pillar to the side, flinging your net over **Toriel’s** head. After a moment of struggling, you are hanging by the side of the net’s ring, with **Toriel’s** horns tangled with the netting. **Toriel** chuckles when you huff in dissatisfaction as the beetle in question flies off unharmed. You watch it flutter away angrily as **Toriel** untangles you both from the net, holding you carefully in her arms.

“Perhaps it is time for a lunch break?”

You nod and wriggle out of her arms as **Toriel** laughs heartily at your excitement over food. She’s noticed a considerable gain in weight since you fell, but she knows from the tint in your cheeks that it’s healthy. She can only wonder, however, how much damage the surface did to you. As **Toriel** observed you over the past few weeks, she knows that you are capable of speech (the laughs and quiet whispers she’s heard while watching you are proof enough), but you seem almost afraid to say a word to anyone. And your eyes, you’ve kept them practically closed this entire time, hiding them away as much as possible without blinding yourself. What in the world could possibly have happened to cause this child so much fear and pain? The nightmares you have every other night are a clue, but she did not have enough pieces of the puzzle to make a picture. **Toriel** sighs as she helps you drag the picnic basket, and spread out a blanket to sit on.

You hear **Toriel** sigh and look over at her as she sets out the food. Was it possible she was disappointed that you failed? _No_ , you reassure yourself, _this wasn’t true_. _She’s been nothing but supportive of you the past few weeks, and you caught so many bugs today! It had to be something else_. You take a careful, calculating glance at **Toriel** as she hands you a sandwich. There was something sad in her eyes, but also something inquisitive, so maybe she was worried about dinner? You couldn’t figure it out. You grumpily take a bite of your sandwich, _you hated not knowing things. It’s why you were so wary in the first place of the **Underground**_ , _why you stuck so close to_ **T o r i e l**. You didn’t know anything about the other Monsters, whether they would hurt you or not. It unsettled you that there were so many living creatures underneath the mountain that no one knew about. Or maybe someone did? _There were those rumors about **M t .   E b o t t** …_

“Young one?”

You looked to **Toriel**.

“May I ask more about you?”

You felt a bit wary then, uncertainty showing across your face. She immediately went on the defense, trying to explain her reasoning.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to of course. It’s just I hardly know your name, and I imagine calling you child, and young one all the time isn’t very appealing to you, so…” she trailed off nervously.

You look down at your sandwich, clearly upset. _Of course, it comes up now…_

“Well,” **Toriel** has finished her food and is cleaning her face with a napkin. “You do not have to tell me now my child. When you are ready, please, come speak to me.”

You nod and wipe your mouth on your sleeve, which earns a disapproving hum from **Toriel**. She immediately wipes your mouth with a napkin instead, before packing up our picnic. She holds her hand out to you.

“Shall we go, my child?”

You nod and take her hand to go back Home.

**Y O U R   h o m e .**

It’s been a few months since you began living with **Toriel** , and she has finally decided it’s time for you to begin learning. A prospect you are actually looking forward to. All you knew of Human History was wars, and you had never grown interested enough in a book about a magic tree house to learn to read. So you were more excited than Toriel at the idea of learning Monster History.

“Alright my child, the first thing I have decided to teach you is our language.”

You tilt your head, _didn’t you both kind of already speak the same language? Well, not that you really talked, but the point was still there._

**Toriel** chuckled at the look you gave her.

“I know, we can understand each other well. However I meant more on your reading and writing. You have difficulty in those areas do you not?”

You were a bit surprised but still nodded. **Toriel** set down some thin books, paper, and a wooden pencil in front of you.

“These will be your school supplies until I am able to get new ones from the market. A new ship doesn’t come in for a couple of months, and I was not expecting you to fall.”

You examined the books for a moment, before picking up the pencil, putting it on a sheet of paper, and holding it there for a moment, lost on what the next step would be.

**Toriel** pulled a pen from her dress pocket, and began to make careful shapes and lines you recognized as an alphabet on the paper. It didn’t look like the one on the surface though, this was a whole new territory.

  **Toriel** sensed your distress. “I know it will be difficult my child, but as I do not know the current written customs from the surface, I’m afraid all I can teach you at the moment is what young monsters learn.”

You think about this. Young monsters? Does that mean there are other kids here? You pulled yourself out of that train of thought and gave her a reassuring hug that she gladly returned. Determined, you pull the sheet of paper towards you and start copying the letters. Happy, **Toriel** begins to create more ‘worksheets’ for you, making each slightly harder as she goes along.

After a while, **_y o u   r e a l i z e   t h a t   t h e y   a r e n’  t   s o   d i f f e r e n t   f r o m   t h e   h u m a n   a l p h a b e t_** , and learn how to connect the letters of your name to the Monster version. You practice the full alphabet a while more before rewriting your name over and over. You quietly murmur the letters to yourself as you go, being sure to connect each letter to the correct sound.

**Toriel** sets a plate of cheese and crackers next to you, and you switch hands in order to eat and keep writing at the same time. She takes slight surprise in this but goes back to preparing small exercises while you work.

It’s quiet for a while, with only the sounds of writing on paper, and the occasional flip and crunch of the crackers. A knock on the door startles you both from your tasks. Toriel stands up and ruffles your head.

“Stay here my child, it seems I must attend to business.”

You nod, but keep your ears open as **Toriel** opens the door to greet someone.

“Greetings **Gemma** , it is nice to see you.”

“Hello Miss **Toriel** , I’m sorry for bothering you. It’s just you have not left the house in some time, so we came to check on you.”

“Oh, has it been so long? I apologize for worrying you, however, I do not see the children with you. Are they hiding around the corner again?”

“Oh! That’s tight!”

There was a shifting sound, and **Toriel** clapped her hands.

“How adorable! I am so sorry I missed them! How old? What is their name?”

“It’s a girl Miss, her name is **Jade**. 3 weeks as of today.”

“Oh, she’s precious. I’m sure she’ll grow up big and strong. And you up and about so early after the birth! Are you doing alright?”

“That’s, actually part of why I came by Miss.” The woman sounded uncomfortable.

“What’s troubling you, dearie? Oh, come inside, you must be tired.”

“Thank you Miss.”

The door closes and you hear footsteps approaching, immediately you return to your work, keeping your head low.

“Well, honestly I-oh! Miss **Toriel** , is this . . . ?”

“Yes. My child?”

You pause and look up timidly. You are only slightly surprised to see a dragon-styled woman standing there with a young thing in her arms.

“This is **Gemma** **Dravern** , and her daughter **Jade**. Say hello.”

You hop down from the chair and wave at the woman in greeting. The Dragon-like woman seems slightly more at ease with you after that, but _you still can feel her discomfort at your presence_. You turn back to the table and gather your papers and books up.

“Why not have a seat at the table? My child, you may take your things to the kitchen if you must move.”

**Toriel** begins to help clear the table while **Miss Dravern** brings herself to sit. You smile shyly at her as you leave the room, sitting you and your stuff on the counter. You tune yourself out of the conversation and focus on your school work, trying out a worksheet Toriel had made. You decide also to put your name on the top, as a nice surprise to Toriel when she finishes.

It’s at least an hour when the sound of a baby crying reaches your ears. You perk up, stopping and peeking out of the room to see **Miss Dravern** desperately trying to calm her child. **Toriel** offers something that you can’t hear over the **baby’s** cries, which **Miss Dravern** agrees to, before both take notice of you near the doorway. _She seems more comfortable with you now_ and smiles at you as **Toriel** gestures you in warmly. You draw yourself closer to **Toriel** , keeping a careful watch on the distressed dragon **baby**. The mother breathes a deep breath and gestures you to her.

“Would you like to see her? She’s not very happy at the moment, but **Jade** loves meeting new people.”

You look at **Toriel** for permission before slowly going over to the baby. Her wailing ceases as she catches sight of you. You and the **baby** have a moment of silence as you study each other. **_Y o u   d e c i d e_**     ** _y o u   l i k e   M o n s t e r   b a b i e s   m o r e   t h a n   H u m a n   o n e s ._** You wave a little at the young thing, deciding it’s safe to **ACT**.

“ **H e l l o   b a b y .** ” You murmur, surprising **Toriel**.

She seems to like this and gurgles happily. This makes you smile, and you end up whispering thoughts to **Baby** while **Toriel** talks to **Miss Dravern**.

“It is quite surprising the child spoke. I have never heard them speak to anyone thus far.”

“Even you?”

“Even me, they must have taken quite a liking to young **Jade**.”

“ **Jade** seems to like them a lot too. What-What is the child’s name?”

“I am not sure, they had no knowledge of how to write or read before they arrived. So they never told me.”

“How odd. They are Human?”

Toriel hesitates slightly before answering.

“Yes, they fell down a few months ago. Which I suppose is why I haven’t been out in a while. I’ve been meaning to go to the market soon, but leaving them here alone. . . ”

**Gemma** chuckles, glancing down at the human child making small hand motions while describing something to her child.

“I think they’ll be fine. Taking them with you might ease your troubles.”

**Toriel** shakes her head.

“The child was absolutely terrified of Whimsuns when they fell. I do not want to overwhelm them.”

The mother nods.

“How about I come over then? **Jade** loves them, and I suspect they’ll get along with the others quite well.”

**Toriel** seems nervous about this.

“I would not want to inconvenience you, with **Onyx** , **Beryl** , and **Jade** , it is too much to have on your plate. To add another child to the mix-“

“-would be no trouble at all Miss **Toriel**.” **Gemma** gives **Toriel** a reassuring smile.

“You’ve done so much for everyone, it would be the least I could do.”

**Toriel** thinks it over for a while, the two moms watching their children interact.

“I may take you up on the offer, I will wait a while longer however, to give them more time to adjust.”

**Miss** **Dravern** leads you over to the fireplace, setting the **baby** down, and you sit down near her. You look unsure at the mother, who simply smiles, and walks back over to her seat by **Toriel**. You look at the **baby** , who is staring at you with curious wide eyes. You smile again and begin to _describe snowfall to the child._

It’s another long while of quiet chit chat between adults when the two mothers are startled by a loud yawn from the baby dragon. They looked over to see that the human child had somehow put both of them on **Toriel’s** chair, and was singing a quiet melody to the Baby. Both looked tired, but the Human seemed determined not to fall asleep before the **Baby**.

“Is that one of your songs?”

**Toriel** shook her head.

“No, that must be one from the surface.”

Both listened to the soft lullaby sharing a knowing smile as the two kids fell asleep.

The child seemed to be fitting in just fine.

 

 

 

 

_Greetings, Doctor._

**YOUNG HIGHNESS.**

_This an interesting development, is it not?_

**I WONDER WHAT THE CHILD WILL DO.**

_Will they end up like the last runs?_

**PERHAPS NOT. THE CHILD HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR POWERS OR PREVIOUS TIMELINES.**

_So? It is not like that has stopped them before._

**HMM.**

_Well, no matter what happens. It’s all permanent this time._

**SO IT IS.**

_The kid is all out of DETERMINATION._

**I AM AWARE.**

_I wonder what the final outcome will be._

**WHAT OF THE YOUNG PRINCE?**

_What of him?_

**FRISK’S LOW DETERMINATION LEVEL COULD BE QUITE CATASTROPHIC FOR THEIR WORLD**

_I-I am not quite sure._

**. . .**

_I suppose he will regain control of the SAVE FILE, and we must wait for a new human to come through._

**BUT WILL THEY LAST LONG ENOUGH? IF THE CHILD WERE TO DIE ON THE OTHER SIDE, IT WOULD BE THE FINAL SOUL.**

_You are correct. However . . ._

_Oh my god._

_If that takes place, then what will become of us?_

**TAKE CARE OF THEM THIS TIME AROUND.**

_I will._

**DO NOT LET THEM SUCCUMB TO DARKNESS.**

_I know. I refuse to let that happen again. The silence that followed was deafening . . ._

**THAT IT WAS.**

_I swear on His life. This will be our Happy End._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/10/2017

 

###### 

⚠   E R R O R   ⚠

⚠   F I L E   U N A B L E   T O   S A V E   ⚠

⚠   E R R O R   ⚠

 

As you washed your face in the newly renovated bathroom, you thought of the time you’d spent so far living in the **Ruins**. It had been a while now and finding out from **Miss** **Dravern** that **Toriel** had shut herself in just to take care of you . . .

Well, **_i t   d i d n ’ t   s i t   r i g h t_**.

So today you had decided would be the day you spoke to **Toriel**. Granted, it had been a while since you’d been fully audible. And besides the **baby** , you haven’t spoken to anyone directly in a long time. But you felt you owed it to **Toriel** , especially with being such a bother for so long.

You opened your eyes fully to stare at yourself in the mirror. Slightly disheveled brown hair held back at the moment by a headband, long eyelashes, tanned skin, and a pair of dark red eyes stared back at you. You slapped your cheeks one more time, and carefully did some mouth stretches to make sure you spoke clearly.

“  **F r i s k**. ”

You took a deep breath.

“ _Frisk_.”

You repeated this over and over to yourself in the mirror, making sure it sounded clear, that you didn’t mumble, that **_y o u   w e r e   i n   c o n t r o l ._**

“  ** _F r i s k_**. ”

You said it one last time, nodding before starting on the next word.

“ _Toriel_.”

You felt your voice crack on the new word, and rubbed your head as you cleared your throat again.

“  **T o r a i l**. ”

You glared at your reflection for a moment. You took another breath and then continued to practice saying her name. Only two words, two words. You could do two words and not get hurt. Toriel tried to hide it, but she always seemed slightly disappointed when you didn’t respond verbally. _You owed this much to her, to speak with your own voice, and not a piece of paper._

Granted, you couldn’t remember why you didn’t feel safe speaking in the first place, but it seemed easier to not say anything.

Soon, you were able to say her name without feeling like you about to throw up and felt confident in your ability.

“Young one?”

A knock on the door startled you, making your eyes snap shut.

“Breakfast is ready, it’s time to eat.”

You hop down from the stool you stood on and raced to the door. Opening it up as **Toriel** was about to knock again, and running past her to the table. You heard her laugh as you sat down readily, and smiled at her as **Toriel** sat down at her place. You waited for her to take a bite of food, then started eating. **Toriel** had noticed this several times, and for a long time would wonder why the child would not take even a sip before she gave the word or began herself. She never did ask about it though. The child would always redirect questions about themselves elsewhere, she assumed they didn’t like to talk about it, and moved on.

“My child?”

You looked up at her with a mouthful of egg. You didn’t question how they got eggs underground. You didn’t know if you wanted the answer.

“I think today we will start with reading, you have been doing excellently thus far with your writing, so I think it’s a good time.”

You nodded vigorously, swallowing your egg, and gulping down a cup of juice before clearing your plate.

“Done already?”

**Toriel** seemed surprised, but you simply ran to dump your dishes, then to the bookshelf. **Toriel** finished her food as you scoured the many books before you decided on one with shiny letters. It was kinda heavy and REALLY big, but you could handle it.

**Toriel** came up behind you and picked up the book.

“Perhaps not this one, my child. It’s a bit too advanced for your age.”

She went on picking books out that you could read, saying which books might be interesting, which ones were more historical, or just made up stories. You watched her make a small pile of books and turned your attention to the fancy big one she’d set aside. You scooted it closer, carefully looking over the dark red cover before opening it up.

_The History of Humans and Monsters._

Now, this seemed more interesting than a book about a fluffy bunny. You turned the page and read only a few sentences in before Toriel swiped it away from you. She gave you a scolding look before placing it (higher), back on the shelf, and bringing the books to the now clear table. You back down at your chair and grab a piece of paper from the school stuff.

**W h y   c a n ’ t   I   r e a d   t h a t   o n e ?**

**Toriel** read it over, before moving on.

“I told you, it’s too advanced.”

**B u t   I   c o u l d   r e a d   i t   j u s t   f i n e .   I t   s a i d   T h e   H i s t o r y   o f   H u m a n s   a n d   M o n s t e r s .**

She sighed.

“Perhaps when you are older, but as it is, you are too young.”

You puffed out your cheeks, and **Toriel** gave you a look.

“My child, you are only. . .” She draws a blank, and you realize that you also haven’t told her how old you are. Not that you know it exactly either, not the date anyway. But she didn’t need to know that, your birthday wasn’t a huge deal. **_N o  o n e   e l s e   r e a l l y   c a r e d   w h a t   t h e   d a y   w a s ,   s o   w h y   s h o u l d   y o u ?_**

**7 .   M a y b e   8 ?**

“On the subject of your age, when IS your birthday?”

_Well, that backfired._

You shrugged, grabbing one of the books **Toriel** had picked out for you.

“Well,  if you don’t know. Why don’t we pick one out together?”

You nodded and watched **Toriel** out of the corner of your eye as she fetched a small calendar from the entrance. She seemed to scan over the days, then circled one.

“There! On **June, the 30th.** That is when your new date of birth will be.” She hesitates, glancing at you for a moment. “Is that alright, my child?”

You nod, staring down at the book a moment longer before returning your gaze to **Toriel** as she places the calendar on the wall by the bookshelf.

“  **F r i s k**. ”

She pauses in her task, turning her head to look over at you. The expression she’s making is almost comical, but at the moment, you didn’t feel much like laughing.

“  ** _F r i s k_**. ”

“Is . . . that your name? **Frisk**?”

You nod firmly but do wonder how she never saw it on the papers. _You did write it on there._

She chuckles slightly to herself.

“I know, I know, you did write it out, I just” She ran a fuzzy hand through her fur on her head. “I just never quite knew how to pronounce it, is all.”

_How many different ways can ‘ **Frisk’** be pronounced???_

You shrugged this off, instead decided to surprise her again by writing her name down on the back of the paper, and holding it up to her.

“ **Toriel**?”

You could swear there were tears in her eyes when you said her name as well. Now that made you nervous, as if you’d done something to upset her. She just stood and gave you a hug. Not that you didn’t appreciate the hug. **Toriel** gave the best hugs. You snuggled yourself into her dress.

“Thank you.” That did surprise you a bit.

“Thank you for trusting me, **Frisk**.”

Now it was your turn to have your eyes water. _Speaking wasn’t supposed to be this emotional! What was this, a fictional drama about growing up?_

Toriel pulled back, and laughed a bit, wiping at her eyes as you did the same.

“Well, that took an unexpected turn, didn’t it.”

You nod, and pat her hand, holding up the book you’d picked up earlier with a smile. She returned it warmly, sitting back down.

“Yes, let’s get started shall we?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/10/2017

A few more days passed, and things became somewhat normal again before **Toriel** dropped the bomb. You were sitting in your room, for the time being, making a paper crown for the stuffed dummy thing you liked, when **Toriel** knocked on the door. You had assumed she was in another meeting, by the noise coming from outside earlier, but _perhaps it was done?_

“My child? May I come in?”

**“ Y e s . ”**

She opened it hesitantly.

“I know that this may come as a surprise, and I am sorry for bringing it so suddenly.”

Your face became unsure, and you held the hand of the toy slightly tighter.

“I will have to leave for a short while.”

You shook your head vigorously, running to hold on to **Toriel** for dear life. _Which_ _it might as well have been._

“I know, I know, but I cannot take you with me.”

You looked up at her, ‘ **w h y   n o t** ’ written all over your face.

“There are simply too many people, you will be overwhelmed.”

You shook your head.

“I will not be leaving you alone if it makes you feel better.”

You shook your head.

“ **Gemma** is here to watch you while I am out,” You tilt your head. “She brought a few of her children along to play.”

You bury your head back in **Toriel’s** dress, and she lifts you up.

“Now, **Frisk** , I know you are afraid, but you liked **Jade** , didn’t you?”

 _The baby?_ You nodded.

“Well, these are **Jade’s** brother and sister, I am sure you will get along.”

You shrugged.

“Well,” **Toriel** hesitated, before picking your stuffed dummy up, which you gladly hugged to your chest, and exiting the room. You heard the sound of children playing from the main room, and buried yourself as much into the dummy and **Toriel** as possible.

“ **Gemma**?”

You heard some shuffling, and the sounds quieted into loud whispers.

“Doesn’t want you to go?”

 **Toriel** laughed nervously.

“I am afraid not, they have never been quite this clingy with me. . .”

“I know, it’s the first time that’s always the hardest.”

“Yes. . .”

There was a moment of silence, then **Miss** **Dravern** spoke to you.

“ **Frisk**?”

So **Toriel** told her your name, that makes sense, they seemed to talk a lot more after she came by with the baby.

“I brought **Jade** with me, she’s very eager to see you.”

That makes you peek your head out, and **Toriel** sets you on the ground. You peer half-lidded around the room. In front of you are two other monsters that look similar to **Miss** **Dravern** and the **baby** , but still different. One is slightly taller, with slightly larger horns, and the other has bigger eyes. Both are studying you curiously, but a happy cry from the left takes your attention away. Sitting at the table, looking at you happily, is the baby. You brighten at this and look at **Toriel** and **Miss Dravern** for permission before dashing to her. You smile at the **baby** and sit down in front.

“ **H i , _i t ’ s   n i c e   t o   s e e   y o u   a g a i n ._** ”

You get a happy gurgle in response and focus all your attention on her.

The two other children look at each other disgruntled. Here they were against their will, and this weird kid didn’t even wanna play with them? **Miss Dravern** chuckled, and **Toriel** looked between the two children and **Frisk** distressed.

“Will they get along?”

 **Miss Dravern** waved her off.

“I’m sure it will be fine Miss **Toriel** , they only need a bit to get used to each other. **Jade** will have to go down for a nap soon anyway, so **Frisk** will end up playing with **Onyx** and **Esmerelda** at some point.”

 **Toriel** watched her child interact with the **baby** , making wild gestures to describe, something.

“I certainly hope so.”

She certainly hoped so.

“ **Frisk**?”

You paused, turning your attention to **Toriel** for a moment.

“I will be leaving now, okay?”

Your face paled, you had completely forgotten she was leaving! You dashed up to hug **Toriel** again, **baby** forgotten, much to her distress. She let out a couple of upset shouts, which you looked back at her silently.

**_I t ’ s   o k a y   b a b y ,   I   j u s t   n e e d   t o   m a k e   s u r e   T o r i e l   s t a y s   w i t h   m e ._ **

**Baby** understands your silent plea and calms down while you bury yourself back in **Toriel’s** dress. **Miss** **Dravern** blinks, then throws on her biggest smile and pops down to your level.

“ **Frisk**? I know you’re worried, but take it from me, **Toriel** will be alright.”

You shake your head and tighten your grip on Toriel’s dress.

 **Miss** **Dravern** and **Toriel** look at each other.

“There is pie in the fridge.”

You hesitate, then shake your head, but the two women catch your hesitation and chuckle.

“Mom?”

The mothers turn their heads to the young Draverns, who have come slightly closer.

“Can we try?”

They looked at each other and shrugged.

“Go ahead you two.”

You flinch away at the touch of a small warm hand to your shoulder.

“Your name’s **Frisk** right?”

You don’t respond. The taller one sighs.

“Of course their name’s **Frisk** , mum’s been calling them that!”

“Oh shush **Nyx**!”

The hand removes itself from your shoulder, and you visibly relax.

“I just wanted to say that Miss **Dreemur** will come back.”

You peek out at them slightly, wondering where they were going with this.

“We know it’s kinda scary like your mom might never come back. Like she’ll leave you and never return.”

You nod slightly, surprising **Toriel** and **Miss** **Dravern** a bit.

“But it’s okay! Miss **Dreemur** always keeps her word when she says something! Right Nyx?”

 **Onyx** nodded and patted **Frisk** on the head.

“Yeah! You don’t have to worry about nothing!”

You stare at them a moment, then look back to **Toriel** questioningly.

“They are right my child.” **Toriel** kneels down and holds your ( _wittle_ ) hands in hers.

“I promise I am going to come back home, okay? I will still be here to read you your bedtime story.”

You hold your gaze, a soft frown forming.

**“ P r o m i s e ? ”**

Toriel chuckles.

“I promise, my child. There is nothing to worry about.”

She nuzzled your forehead, making you laugh at the ticklish feeling.

With the problem solved, **Toriel** bid everyone goodbye and left for her errands. Leaving you to stand awkwardly with the others.

The smaller one, **Esmeralda** , immediately started bouncing.

“So, **Frisk** , what’d’ya like to do? What’s your favorite color? I like your stuffed  dummy! Do you have lots of stuffed monsters? I have a snail! You wanna see?” She held up a colorful stuffed snail thing and threw it in the air once before catching it.

“Isn’t it cool? I love snails! But I don’t like eating them, they taste weird. What do you like to eat? Are you hungry? We could make you food! I know how to make a really good-MMPHF!”

She was interrupted by **Onyx** clapping his hands over her mouth. She glared at him with gold eyes, as he rolled his of the same shade.

“Slow down **Ez** , **Frisk** is like the Moldsmals, remember? They don’t talk much.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded slowly. **Onyx** removed his hands.

“So, what do you want to do **Frisk**?”

**I   l i k e   t o   m a k e   p a p e r   h a t s !** **Y o u   w a n n a   m a k e   s o m e   h a t s ?**

They looked at each other confused.

“Hats?” **Onyx** said hesitantly.

 **Esmeralda** looked more baffled than him.

“What? What about hats?”

 **Miss Dravern** stepped in then, holding the **baby**.

“Sorry **Frisk** , **Esmeralda** hasn’t mastered her reading very well yet, so there may be a bit of a language barrier.”

She chuckled at something, _an inside joke maybe?_

You looked at **Esmeralda** , then down at your paper and frowned. **_T h e n   h o w  .  .  .  A h !_**

You quickly folded the paper you’d been writing on into a little samurai hat, holding it up for them to see. Both siblings looked at it in awe.

**“ M a k e   h a t s ? ”**

“I WANNA DO THAT!” **Esmeralda** shouted excitedly, and **Onyx** just nodded with a smile.

You grinned. _Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all._

The three of you dashed off to your room, where you grabbed your scissors and colored paper, before clearing a space in the entryway for your new project.

Carefully, you showed them how to fold a few different types of hats, then the three of you worked to make all sorts of different things. You made a paper sash, crowns, tiaras, masks, even armor! You staged a few epic battles, with a crown for **baby** , who would play the trapped princess. You did have to stop her from eating it a few times though, you didn’t want the **baby** to get sick!

Soon, the **baby** had to take a nap, so the three of you moved to the living area, where you sat rather bored for a while, till you remembered _the pretty book_. You snapped your fingers a few times to get their attention.

**Y o u   g u y s   w a n n a   r e a d   a   s t o r y ?   I   s a w   i t   e a r l i e r   o n   t h e   s h e l f ,   i t   l o o k s   c o o l !**

The two brightened at the idea as **Onyx** relayed this info.

“Sure! What’s it about?”

You shrug and drag a chair over to the bookcase as quietly as possible. Reaching up, you manage just barely to pull it off the shelf and plop down on the floor next to the two.

 _Maybe this isn’t a good idea. **Toriel** did say not to read this one. _ But the thought left as soon as it came.

“The War of Humans and Monsters.” **Onyx** looks at you uncertainly.

You shrug and open it back to the first page, which depicts a Monster, and a Human.

“Wow! Is that what a human looks like?”

You shrug.

**S o m e   o f   t h e m   m a y b e ,   t h e y   n o r m a l l y   a l l   l o o k   p r e t t y   d i f f er r e n t   f r o m   o n e   a n o t h e r .**

The two look at you in amazement, although **Onyx** seems more on edge than now. Nevertheless, he reads the first page

“Long ago, two races ruled the Earth, Humans, and Monsters. They lived in peace for centuries, sharing earth and sky.”

You turned the page, and saw an illustration of a village, with a human child, and a monster child playing together. There was no other text. You turned the page again to see a heart, and an upside down one.

“Human souls are unbelievably powerful, it would take the power of nearly every Monster’s soul, just too equal one.” You frowned. This didn’t seem right, _this was history, not science._

You turned the page, looking at a monster, and a human with weapons out.

“One day, the Humans, fearful of our magic power, attacked. A war began.” **Onyx’s** eyes narrowed.

“The war was a genocide, without MERCY on the Humans part, and in the end, not a single SOUL was taken. Countless Monsters were turned to dust.”

 **Esmeralda** clutched your arm.

“This is kinda scary.”

You nodded,   **t h i s   w a s n ’ t   w h a t   y o u   e x p e c t e d   t o   f i n d   a t   a l l .** **Onyx** was the one to turn the page next.

“The Humans won and refused our surrender. They herded us to a mountain, and sealed us underground.”

A picture was shown on the next page of a human standing surrounded by light.

“They trapped us with seven Human SOULS, using a magic spell. This is the barrier. It is what keeps us trapped in this cursed place.”

You all took a deep breath and turned the page again.

“If we had managed to get one human soul, we may have won. A monster with a human soul…”

You turned the page.

“A horrible beast with unfathomable power.”

You looked at the illustration on the page and felt the headache from a while back return full force. You clutched your head in pain, whimpering softly. **Esmeralda** looked at you concerned, but **Onyx** was too focused on the book to notice. _You didn’t want to look at this anymore._

“But this has never happened.”

He turned the page.

“And now it never will.”

The end of the beginning. The three of you sat in silence for a while, you with your eyes shut, **Esmeralda** hanging onto your arm, and **Onyx** staring at the human illustration in the book.

“What in the world are you three doing?”

You all jumped at the sound of **Miss** **Dravern** behind you and turned tearfully to look at her. She walked over and swiped the book from the floor.

“The War of Humans and Monsters…” She glanced over what you’d read, seeing your solemn faces, and sighed.

“I thought our history would wait till your older years?”

You all shrugged, looking down at the ground.

“Come on, let’s put this away. It’s time for lunch.” She placed the book back on the shelf and headed towards the kitchen.

“Who wants to help?”

And just like that, the tension was broken. **Esmeralda** jumped up first, dashing into the kitchen, **Frisk** was a little slower, but just as excited. _Toriel doesn’t let them near the stove normally._ **Onyx** was last, staring at the book, and watching **Frisk** as they interacted with his family. He pushed his thoughts away for his sister’s sake and followed suit in making food.

**_E v e r y t h i n g   w o u l d   b e   o k a y ._ **


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

When **Toriel** returned home, she was greeted with silence. This made her slightly uneasy, it was never completely quiet these days. Even when **Frisk** was asleep, if she sat close enough to the room, she could hear the child breathe deeply as they slept.

“ **Gemma**? **Frisk**? Children? I’m back.”

Silence, then a running pair of footsteps. You practically flew at **Toriel** , jumping high enough to wrap your arms around her neck as she chuckled lightly.

**“ T o r i e l . ”**

She gave you a hug.

“Hello, my child, did you have fun?”

You nodded, pulling back to smile at her.    **Y o u ’ d   h a d   a   L O T   o f   f u n !**

“A HA!” You leaped out of **Toriel’s** arms and hid yourself behind her. **Esmeralda** appeared from the hallway, looking around the room.

“I know you’re in here **Frisk**! I heard you!”

She noticed **Toriel**.

“Oh, hi Miss **Dreemur**! You haven’t seen **Frisk** around, have you?”

**Toriel** chuckled.

“I suppose it is not my place to say my child. **Frisk** , have I seen you?”

You shook your head from your hiding spot.

“I am sorry then **Esmeralda** , I have not seen them.”

She stamped her foot, huffing a small puff from her mouth.

“Come on! That’s not fair! **Toriel** can’t hide you it’s cheating!

You popped out, shaking your head and sticking out your tongue.

Esmeralda looked at you triumphantly. You just huffed and came out fully.

“Ha! I knew you were over there! Now we have to get **Onyx**!”

“ **Esmeralda**? Is **Toriel** back?”

She stopped for a moment, thinking carefully before answering her mother.

“Yeah!”

**Gemma** appeared from the Living Area, holding a small **Jade** in her arms.

“Then our game is over for now. You can continue it later.”

**Onyx** jumped out from behind a bookcase.

“YES! I WON!”

You and **Esmeralda** shared a disgruntled look, before you went to focus on the **baby** again.

**“ D i d   y o u   h a v e   f u n   b a b y ? ”**

**Jade** gurgled happily, reaching a tiny hand out for you to take and move around.

**Toriel** and **Miss** **Dravern** looked on happily at the sight.

“Kids? Why don’t you go cleanup your messes now?”

You and the others nodded before dashing off to take care of your room first. That one was a disaster.

**Miss Dravern** looked after them kindly before turning to Toriel more seriously.

“I’m sorry, by the way.”

**Toriel** was startled.

“Whatever for? **Frisk** seems very happy with their situation.”

The young mother looked down at her little dragon baby.

“I’m afraid that while I was putting **Jade** to rest, the children climbed the bookshelf. I believe they read a brief overview of **The** **War**.”

**Toriel** sighed, and ran a hand through her fur.

“I suppose it could not be helped. **Frisk** can be a very curious little thing, it is no wonder they took their chances.”

“I apologize all the same.”

The children soon finished cleanup, and said their goodbyes.

“We’ll see you later **Frisk**! Maybe next time you can come over our house!”

**Esmeralda** nodded.

“Yeah! I have all sorts of pretty clothes we can play in!”

You nodded, and waved bye to the **baby** and her mother.

“Thank you again **Gemma** , for doing this.”

She waved Toriel off.

“It was no problem at all Miss **Toriel** , I’ll be seeing you.”

**Toriel** smiled at her, and then at the little brown haired child beside her.

“Yes, I will be seeing you.”

 

 

** Four Months Later **

_**-** Frisk has had a LOT more playdates with the Dravern children and has grown to speak slightly more with all the positive traits surrounding them. Confidence, Love (lowercase), Compassion. All of this leaked into- **-** their SOUL. Things are looking up, and Toriel has grown more accustomed to the idea of Frisk being home and exploring the Ruins alone. We’ll see just how that goes. **-**_

 

You sit silently, allowing **Toriel** to run out of steam as she banters off a list of things to do while she’s gone. Don’t open the door to strangers, lock the door, lock the windows, don’t leave the house, etc. The doors and windows didn’t have locks, and there wasn’t even anything in the windows anyway. You yawn, and she pauses.

“I know, this must seem tedious to you, but this is for your own safety.”

You stare at **Toriel** blankly. _More like for her mental well-being_ , **y o u   c o u l d   s e e   n o w   h o w   a c c u s t om m e d   y o u   h a d   b e c o m e   t o   l i v i n g   w i t h   n o   o n e   n o w .** **Toriel** had FAR more rules than you could ever come up with. She raises an eyebrow at you, before checking a clock.

“If I don’t hurry I’ll be late,” **Toriel** began to quickly walk towards the door with a basket of food and supplies, she would be visiting a family of Whimsuns today, to encourage them. “Remember what I’ve told you, there’s food in the fridge and the phone is on the table. Call me if you need anything, or if something happens.”

You nod and usher her out the door exasperated. She chuckles at this, before plopping a quick kiss to your head.

“Be good, alright?”

And…she’s gone. You look around the house, wondering what to do first. You decide on drawing for now and rush to your room to begin.

After a while, more than a dozen crayon drawings surround you, and you’ve grown slightly bored of all this. A loud growl erupts from your stomach, and you think about what **Toriel** said. ‘There’s food in the fridge.’ You think again about the pie from last night that mysteriously disappeared from view.

You hurry down to the kitchen and throw open the door to see a large pie covered in **Saeran** -wrap. A long time ago, you would have been quite intimidated by the size, but now, it simply excites you that you could eat a whole pie without **Toriel** being there to stop you. You carefully pull the pie out, setting it on the floor. Finding a small knife in a drawer, you cut yourself a few slices, taking one for now. You recover the pie and take your slice to the entrance room.

Soon you’ve made yourself a small lean-to fort against the railings, and have surrounded yourself with a plate of butterscotch-cinnamon pie, paper, stuffed animals, pillows, a blanket, and your box of craft supplies.

You decide to finish the project for school that **Toriel** gave you. Your task was to create a chart showing the different SOUL Traits, and how they worked. Your favorite was PATIENCE, although you had learned your Trait was DETERMINATION. You had spent the last few days learning about SOULS, and their nature. It was so far your favorite subject. You brought out the book **Toriel** had given you on SOULS for reference and opened it to a particularly interesting page.

 

**A   S O U L   c a n   b e   b o r n   w i t h   o n e   M a i n   T r a i t ,   s o   i t   w i l l   b e   a   P u r e   S O U L   a t   t h e   s t a r t .   B u t   a s   i t   g r o w s   o l d e r ,   i t   b e g i n s   t o   t a k e   o n   n e w   T r a i t s   a s   w e l l .** **A   P u r  e   h u m a n   S O U L   i s   q u i t e   r a r e   i f   t h e   h u m a n    i s   n o t   v e r y   y o u n g .   T h o s e   w I t h   P u r e   S O U L S   a r e   a b l e   t o   u s e   m a g i c ,   a l o n g   w i t h   o n e   p o w e r   u n i q u e   t o   t h e m .   D E T E R M I N A T I O N   a s   t h e   m a i n   T r a i t   i s   i n c r e d i b l y   r a r e ,   s o  a   P u r e   D E T E R M I N E D   S O U L   h a s   o n l y   b e e n   s e e n   a n d   d o c u m e n t e d   a   f e w   t i m e s .**

**A s   i t   g r o w s ,   a   S O U L   w i l l   a b s o r b   t h e   n e w   T r a i t s   f r o m   a r o u n d   i t ,   u n l e s s   r e j e c t e d   b y   t h e   S O U L .   T h i s   i s   e n t i r e l y   r a n d o m ,   a n d   s o   f a r   i t   h a s   n o t   b e e n   c o n f i r m e d   i f   c i r c u m s t a n c e s   c a n   a f f e c t   t h i s .**

**T h e   s e c o n d   r a r e   o c c u r r e n c e   i s   C O R R U P T I O N .   I t   h a s   o n l y   b e e n   k n o w n   t o   o c c u r   i n   a   P u r e   D E T E R M I N E D   S O U L ,   a n d   n o r m a l l y   w i l l   r e s u l t   i n   d e a t h   f o r   t h e   h o s t .   T h e   C O R R U P T  I O N    i s    o f t e n    d e s c r i b e d   a s   b e i n g   w h i t e ,   a n d   g o o e y.   I t   i s   t h e o r i z e d   t h  at   t h e   S O UL   i s   C O R R U P T E D   w h e n  i t   a b s o r b s   a n   u n h e a l t h y   a m o u n t   o f   D E T E R M I N A T I O N ,  c a u s i n g   i t   t o   o v e r f l o w ,   a n d  l e a k   o u t   o f   t h e    S O U L .**

**T h e   CO R R U P T I O N   w i l l   g e n e r al l y   f e e d  o f f   o f   t h e  S O U L S   a r o un d   i t ,   g r o w i n g   u n t i l  i t   c o m p l e t e l y  c o v e r s   t h e  S O U L .   O n c e   c o v e r e d ,   t h e   S O U L   w i l l   t r y   t o   r e j e c t  i t s   h o s t   a s   t h e   C O R R U P T IO N   s p r e a d s  i n t o   t h e   h o s t ’ s  i n t e r n a l   b o d y .  T h e   h o s t  a t   t h i s  p o i n t   c a n n o t   f e e l ,   a n d   w i l l   n o t   n o t i c e   t h e   C O R R U P T I O N   u n t i l  i t   b  e g i n s   t o   l e a k   o v e r   t h e   o u t e r   b o d y .**

**T h e   S OU L ,   c a n n o t  b e   p u l l e d   i n to   a   F I G H T   at   t h i s   s t a g e ,  a n d   w i l l   s i m p l y   p u l s e   i t s   m a i n   c o l o r   i n s i d e   t h e   b o d y .**

You shivered at the thought, yet could picture this so vividly. You decide to put your project off a while longer.

You eventually pull yourself back to coloring and are working on a quaint little picture of a golden flower when you knock your yellow crayon over the edge drawing the stem. You huff and crawl out of your fort. You start down the stairs and stop to pick up the crayon when you hear it.

A quiet knock from down the hall. You peek back up at the front door, and then back down.  _Maybe you imagined it._ You shrug and are about to go back upstairs when you hear it again.

You decide to go down the hall and at least confirm it’s nothing before coming back up.

Yellow crayon in hand, you make your way down, carefully listening to the repeated knock. You creep around the corner and are surprised to see a large purple door in front of you. The knocking starts again, and you feel a slight chill from the other side.

Every inch of your body is telling you _not to touch it_ , so you go over to the door and lay your hand on it. You immediately pull it back, dropping your crayon as another powerful headache overtakes you. The knocking stops when the crayon hits the ground.

“u h ,   h e l l o ? ”

The voice is unfamiliar but _familiar_ , and you feel slightly afraid of this invisible person behind the door. Unfortunately, **Toriel** returns home at this time, and this strange voice had increased your headache. **_Toriel_** _is gonna be so mad._

“Young one? I am home.”

You feel your body give way to the headache-induced nausea, and hit the floor with a thump.

“ w h o s e   t h e r e ? ”

The voice seems to be more worried than wary now, but that only makes the headache worse. You let out a small whimper at the pain.

“My child? Are you down there?”

The voice behind the door speaks again, though this time you can’t really hear what’s going on through the pounding in your head. Footsteps resound behind you, and you barely register a panicked cry from **Toriel** as she pulls you into her arms.

“ h i ,   u h ,   i   g u e s s   t h i s   i s   a   b a d   t i m e . ”

You get the feeling there was a joke there somewhere, though you don’t feel very much like laughing.

“Yes, Yes I am so sorry. I will have to put the introductions aside for now as well, they do not seem to be well…”

A wry chuckle sounds from behind the door.

“ d o n ’ t   w o r r y   ‘ b o u t   i t   l a d y .   a n o t h e r   t i m e . ”

It’s quiet as **Toriel** carries you back upstairs, and lays you in your bed. By the time she’s tucked you in and brought you a glass of water, your headache is gone completely, the only thing worrying you is your yellow crayon.

Toriel seems relieved, but the worry is quickly replaced with irritation.

“What in the world were you doing down there my child? It is quite dangerous, not to mention cold.”

You shrug and explain to **Toriel** how you had dropped your crayon. You had merely gone down to get it and go back up when you heard the knock. Then you found the door and got a headache again. You get worried at her odd expression.

**“ A r e   y o u   m a d ? ”**

She sighs and rubs your head as she shakes her head.

“I am not angry my child. Scared, yes. But I am not mad.”

You breathe a sigh of relief.

“But, I do not feel comfortable with you going down there all the same. When I think about what may have happened…”

Her eyes get that faraway look they get when she’s sad, and you hug her as you’ve done every time you see it. **Toriel** immediately snaps out of it to hug you back.

“Just promise me that you won’t ever go down there again without me with you.”

You nod. If you got a headache like that every time you go downstairs, you never wanted to go down again.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

Only a week later, you come in from playing with your friends to hear laughter from downstairs. **Toriel**?

**“ T o r i e l ? ”**

You call her as loud as you dare, and she immediately stops, speaking for a moment before rushing up to you. Her face is bright, and she seems excited. She’s happier than you’ve ever seen her.

“My child! Come!”

You follow her nervously downstairs again, pausing at the bottom before continuing to follow.

**“ T o r i e l ? ”**

She glances back at you, slight worry at your nervous expression.

“It is okay, my child. I am here with you.”

You nod, making sure to grab her hand as she hurries down the hall.

“I’m back! I’ve brought someone I want you to meet?”

“ o h ? ”

You hear that same voice from behind the door and instantly are given that horrible headache from deep inside your brain. You shake your head at Toriel when she looks at you expectantly, and her face falls slightly. You feel guilty, but not enough to speak.

“Well, they do not seem up for speaking at the moment, but they are an absolutely lovely child!”

“ i  s u r e   h o p e   y o u   a r e n ’ t   k i d d i n g   w i t h   m e . ”

 **Toriel’s** smile widens, and she chuckles.

“That was good.” She gives you a questioning glance, and you nod slightly. “Their name is **Frisk**. They’re a relatively new addition to the underground.”

The voice hesitates to answer, and _you suddenly feel incredibly uneasy_ being here. You tug on her dress.

**“ G o   d r a w ? ”**

**Toriel** nods.

“Yes, my child. Say goodbye to the nice man behind the door.”

You turn your head nervously. **“ B y e . ”**

“ l a t e r    _k i d_ . ”

 _You feel a chill run down your back_ as you dash upstairs, and sit in your room for a moment hugging the dummy.

You didn’t know who they were, but you got the feeling _you didn’t want to find out._

 

You jumped into bed as **Toriel** walked in, having finished washing up and ready for bed. She chuckled as you held up your choice of reading for the night, and took it as she sat down next to you.

“This one again?”

You nodded. It was your favorite so far, a wonderful little story about a snail. Toriel had the best reading voice.

“Alright, settle in my child, and I’ll tell you a tale.”

You got comfortable under your covers, hugging your stuffed dummy to your chest.

“A tale of wonder and hope, love and Determination.” She winked at you and you giggled.

“Here is the story, of the Little Snail That Could.”

 

Once upon a time, there was a tiny little snail, with a large scalloped shell to pull. She made her way across the countryside very easily, until the little snail came across a large, steep hill. The little snail could not pull her great shell over it, no matter how hard she tried.

She pulled and she pulled. She slimed and slimed. She backed and started off again. Squeak, squish!

But no! Her shell would not follow her up the hill.

At last, she left the shell and went up the hill shell-less. Had she given up? No indeed! She was going for help.

“Surely I can find someone to help me.” She thought.

Over the hill and down the slope went the little snail. Squeak, squish! Squeak squish! Squeak, squish! Squeak!

Pretty soon she saw a big snail sitting on a rock. He looked very big and strong. Running alongside, she looked up and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my scalloped shell? It is so big and heavy I can't get it over."

The big snail looked down at the little snail. Then he said:

"Don't you see that I am through my day's work? I have been slimed and polished for a new shell. No, I cannot help you,"

The little snail was sorry, but she went on, Squeak, Squish! Squeak, Squish! Squeak, Squish!

Soon she came to a second big snail standing on a side track. He was squeaking and squeaking as if he were tired.

"That big snail may help me," thought the little snail. She ran alongside and asked:

"Will you help me bring my scalloped shell over the hill? It is so big and so heavy that I can't get it over."

The second big snail answered:

"I have just come in from a long, long run. Don't you see how tired I am? Can't you get some other snail to help you this time?

"I'll try," said the little snail, and off she went. Squeak, Squish! Squeak, Squish! Squeak, Squish!

After a while, she came to a little snail just like herself. She ran alongside and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my scalloped shell? It is so big and so heavy that I can't get it over."

"Yes, indeed!" said this little snail. "I'll be glad to help you if I can."

So the little snails started back to where the scalloped shell had been standing. Both little snails went to the front of the shell, one behind the other.

Squish, Squish! Squeak, Squeak! Off they started!

Slowly the shell began to move. Slowly they climbed the steep hill. As they climbed, each little snail began to sing:

"I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I think I can - I think I can - I think I can I think I can--"

And they did! Very soon they were over the hill and going down the other side.

Now they were on the plain again, and the little snail could pull her shell herself. So she thanked the snail who had come to help her and said good-bye.

And she went merrily on her way, singing:

"I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could - I thought I could I thought I could -"

The End.

 

(The little engine belongs to Watty Piper)

 **Toriel** turned her attention to the now sleeping child beside her and rubbed their head. It had been so long now since the child had come down, and with their growing confidence and curiosity, she wondered how much longer the child would stay. She shook her head, giving them a little kiss on the forehead before tucking them in. Those kinds of thoughts would only serve to bring unhappiness, it was better if she focused on bringing **Frisk** up safe and sound.

As she left the room and went into the hallway, she noticed the calendar she and **Frisk** had put up a few months back. The child had been living with her for almost 10 months now…how time did fly. **Toriel** wondered what she’d do for **Frisk’s** birthday, and if she should think about enrolling them in the public school. It was only natural that they grow up around others their age. Toriel sighed, walking into her room for bed.

Then again, she didn’t know nearly as much about human upbringing as she would have liked. Perhaps she’d ask **Frisk** about it.

 

** -Four weeks later- **

**Toriel** startled herself out of her cooking.

“Oh, I almost forgot!”

You look up at her from your place at the counter. Toriel had decided you should start learning your numbers from now on and was making you practice things like addition, subtractions, and all of those weird × and ÷ signs.

“I was wondering about the surface.” she takes notice of your sour expression. “I know, you do not enjoy talking about it, but I realized that I,” **Toriel** turns off the stove for a moment, facing you. “I do not know much about how to raise a human child. I don’t know how similar your physical states are, but I do know that not every human’s needs are the same.”

Toriel looks sad for a moment, before shaking herself out of it.

You took a moment to judge her intentions, while you knew Toriel wouldn’t hurt a Whimsun-a phrase you had picked up from Onyx- you didn’t much like talking about the surface. They weren’t the most pleasant memories, though they weren’t horrible either.

**“ I   k n o w   a b o u t   a s   m u c h   a s   y o u   k n o w .   I   d i d n ’ t   g e t   t o   g o   t o   s c h o o l   b e f o r e   n o w ,   s o . . . ”**

Toriel seemed saddened by this for some reason and gave you a little hug. Not that you minded, you loved hugs.

**“ I   t h i n k   y o u ’ r e   d o i n g   g r e a t . ”**

Speaking this out loud to Toriel made her happy. You could tell by the way her eyes lit up, and she smiled warmly down at you. You loved that smile, it made you feel like the most wonderful child in the world.

“Well, I’m very happy to hear that Frisk.”

She returned to her cooking, and you to your numbers, and a comfortable silence took over the kitchen as the two of you worked. You noticed **Toriel** would sneak little glances at you every now and then, and smiled when you realized that she was checking your progress on the sheet. **_Toriel_** _was really the best Mom ever._ **Mom**? You stopped your progress for a moment, thinking. You supposed that since you would be living here, with **Toriel** as your _soul_ _caretaker_ that she was your mother now. You looked back up at **Toriel** , watching her drain the pot, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients for snail soup. Not the best thing in the world, but it made her happy to eat it. You stared intently at her for a while, before grinning wide. You happily went back to your problems, writing down answers every now and then.   **Y o u   l i k e d   t h i s . _Y o u   l i k e d   y o u r   m o m ._**

** -Another few weeks- **

“ **Toriel**?”

She stopped her paperwork for a moment, looking over at you. You had changed your clothes into a little pair of blue shorts, and a striped blue t-shirt. You were wearing your original boots, though they were getting small now.  On your back was a small backpack with your adventuring kit, and your dummy for backup.

“You want to go out exploring again?”

You nodded.

“Alright, but remember, stick close to Home, and don’t go into the city, okay?”

You nodded again and waved as you ran out of the house. Every now and then **Toriel** would let you venture off on your own, which you had both dubbed as exploring. You didn’t get to see much cowering in Toriel’s arms when you first fell, so you took it upon yourself to inform yourself of the wonders around you. You hopped over a falling puzzle and continued on your way. Soon you came to the area you had met a ghost, and found that he was back! Excited you hurried up to him, waving your arms wildly in his face as greeting.

“. . . Oh . . . hello . . . It’s you . . .”

You nodded and gave him a wide smile.

“Oh. . . I didn’t think I’d see you again. . . I would’ve thought you left the ruins by now . . . Oh no . . .”

You shook your head determined.

**“ I ’ m   s t a y i n g   h e r e . ”**

He seemed cheered up by this and began to share some of the things he had. You both sat in the leaves a while, listening to his music. You liked it, it sounded quite a lot like Halloween music, but still cheerful.

**“ W h a t ‘ s   y o u r   n a m e ? ”**

He seemed startled by this.

“Oh . . . you don’t really want to know . . . but you just asked . . . um . . . My name . . . is Napstablook . . .?”

You nodded.

**“ M i n e ’ s   F r i s k . ”**

He again seemed surprised.

“It’s . . . nice to meet you . . . Frisk.”

You smiled and mirrored his words.

**“ N i c e   t o   m e e t   y o u ,   N a p s t a b l o o k . ”**

You struggled with his name for a moment, before deciding on a nickname instead. _To make things easier._

**“ N a p p y ? ”**

You look at him for reassurance, he seems overjoyed at this.

“Oh . . . a nickname . . . only one person has ever given me a nickname before . . . oh, I don’t mean to be rude . . . it’s nice . . .”

You grin, and the two of you sink back into a comfortable silence.

“So . . . you’re staying? . . . Oh no you just said that . . .”

**“ Y e s . ”**

“So . . . it would be okay . . . I could come back and visit . . . more?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017
> 
> AGE : 7-8 : CHAPTERS ONE-EIGHT : COMPLETED  
> BEGINNING AGE : 9-10

_“So . . . it would be okay . . . I could come back and visit . . . some more?”_

**“ Y e s ,   p l e a s e ! ”** You smile so wide _you could’ve sworn you were someone else._

He smiles too and begins to pack up his stuff.

“I’ll be back tomorrow then . . . if you want to . . .”

You stand, and try to give him a hug. Well, it’s more like you’re hugging the air, but he appreciates the gesture.

“. . . Then . . . later . . . **Frisk**. . .”

**“ B y e   N a p p y ! ”**

Then he fades out of sight, presumably to go home. Outside the **Ruins**. You sigh and sit back down.

As much as you wanted to be able to explore more of the **Underground** , which you were sure there was more of, you didn’t want to leave your new mom alone. You guessed that you wouldn’t be able to return, and going downstairs gave you a headache anyway.

You stood up, turning back around to head home for dinner.

“Well howdy!”

You startled, falling back from the sudden weight on your pack. You look up and see a familiar yellow flower. You scramble to get up and try to _call for **Toriel**._

“Nuh, uh, uh!”

 **Flowey** cuts off your exit point and takes away your cell phone.

“I have a few questions for you.”

You back up to a wall far from him and his vines.

 **“ G o   A w a y . ”** You stammer, and he hesitates before returning to that sickly childish grin.

“Not before I get some answers~!”

He giggles, _you don’t like it._

“Question One! Why haven’t you left yet?”

You looked at him confused **.** **Y e t ? _Y o u   w o u l d   N E V E R   l e a v e ._**

**“ N e v e r . ”**

He frowns at this.

“But you want to continue, don’t’cha?”

You shake your head.

“But you need to continue.

 **“ S t a y . ”** You say this more firmly, trying to inch your way towards your phone.

If Flowers could face-palm, you had a feeling he would have.

“Why?”

You glanced over from where you were, he seemed distressed.

“Why are you still here then?”

You shrug, still trying to get to your phone.

“Why, when you have so much more to do? Won’t you get bored? Won’t you realize you have better things you could do than _sIT AROUND AND PLAY HOUSE_?!”

His sudden pitch change frightens you, and you freeze in place.

“ _I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS TIME **CHARA**. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE DOING THIS. IS IT JUST TO GET UNDER MY SKIN?_ ”

He sends a few pellets your way, but they don’t even come close to hitting you. You wonder if Flowey is alright.

“ _THaT’S iT iSN’T iT?_ ”

His voice gets scary again, but he seems to have calmed down a bit.

“You’re just doing this to annoy me, and soon enough, you’ll move on. You always do. Every human that falls down here does the same. They **_fall_** _, get **bored** , **leave** , and_ **_die_**.”

He looks at you pointedly.

“Sooner or later, you’ll meet the same fate, I’m counting on you **_Chara_**.”

Then he disappears, and the vines retract. You shakily make your way to the phone, holding it close as you _head back home._

What was **Flowey** talking about? Every human that falls? You always leave? **_Chara_**?

You had a feeling **_Flowey_** _was confusing you with someone else_ and resolved to _tell him so next time you see him_. Perhaps there was a human named **Chara**. You wondered if they told **Toriel** their names, and decided to ask once you got home.

You walked into the house, finding it empty, then hearing the laughter from downstairs and going to your room.

You decided to _wait_ till a better time. You didn’t like this person behind the door much, no matter how nice they seemed, _you couldn’t get the chills to disappear_ whenever they came around. You grabbed a change of clothes from your dresser and made your way to the bathroom. You would _wash up, then for sure, **Toriel** would be done talking._

 

Once you finished, you decided to grab a book from the shelf and wait. A little reading before dinner never hurt anyone. You glanced at the clock and found that several hours had passed since you left. Had you seriously been sitting with **Napstablook** that long? You shook your head and flipped the page. Footsteps coming up the stairs alerted you to **Toriel’s** presence, and you pretended to be engrossed in your book.

“Oh, my child! You’re back already?”

She was quiet a moment.

“My, it seems it’s almost time for dinner, I’ll get started then.”

 **Toriel** walked past you, pausing in the doorway. You looked over at her, seeing a happy glint in her eyes.

“Would you like to help?”

You nod vigorously, and hop out of the chair, book forgotten.

You follow her into the kitchen as she places a step-stool by the sink.

“You are going to be in charge of peeling the vegetables for tonight.”

You nod and grab the little peel-y tool determined. You looked down at the small pile of veggies **Toriel** had sat in the sink, and took a deep breath before grabbing the first one.   **T h e s e   w o u l d   b e   t h e   b e s t – p e e l e d   v e g e t a b l e s   T o r i e l   h a s   e v e r   e a t e n .**

The **_Chara_** incident with **Flowey** forgotten.

 

** ONE WEEK LATER **

**_ -Thanks to Dragonsrule18 for her Monster OC Lexie! Lexie is a little tan Whimsun child, who is more curious, and much braver than her parents and siblings. She met Frisk a bit back while they went exploring, and-  -they both sat with Nappy awhile until eventually, the two became friends.- _ **

 

 **Toriel** rushed about in a flurry, streamers around her horns, and a ribbon around her waist. Three weeks ago she had checked her calendar and realized the day they had picked for **Frisk’s** birthday was coming up. She had immediately gone into a panic, planning the day best she could, picking out **Frisk’s** favorite foods, favorite colors, and inviting the few friends they had made over the year. Luckily it did not fall on any of the festivals or on anyone else’s birthday, so everyone could come. Not that there were very many coming in the first place.

Now the day had come, and **Toriel** had sent **Frisk** out to play with their friends. They would distract **Frisk** until the time of the party, then lead them back into the house to surprise them. Right now **Toriel** and the other parents were decorating the house, and finishing all the food.

“Miss **Toriel**?”

Speak of the monster.

 **Toriel** turned to **Cordier** **Dravern** standing in the kitchen doorway. He was holding a stack of plates.

“Do you want the table set now, or later once everyone’s ready to eat?”

She hesitated for a moment.

“I think we should wait, in case they want to do any crafts or such beforehand.”

He nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen.

She sighed and finished putting up the final red, and cyan streamers. **Toriel** still was not sure how **Frisk** might react to a traditional monster party, so she had decided to look through the **Old** **Capital** **Library** for ideas. While most of the books had been moved to **New** **Home** , quite a bit of literature had been created in the period between then and now. Along with some forgotten, or outdated books left behind/moved. Nevertheless, she did not see much, and she had a feeling what she did find was not very accurate at this time anyway.

Still. **Toriel** did her best by decorating it like a normal child’s party, and simply took out anything that might overwhelm the child. It was a bit difficult since she also wanted to make sure the other children would be comfortable, but she hoped everything would go smoothly.

And an hour later with the cake was decorated, sandwiches cut, and presents sitting in the corner next to the bookshelf, everything was in place, and a knock on the door was due any moment.

 **Toriel** and the other parents waited patiently in the entrance way, watching young **Jade** play alone with her toys. **Toriel** checked the clock worriedly, what in the world was taking those children so long?

**~~MEANWHILE IN THE RUINS~~**

“RUN LIKE YOUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT, EVERYONE!”

“But, our lives do depend on it!”

The kids heard cackling behind them.

 **Onyx** shoved **Esmeralda** forward and she stumbles into you. You reach behind to keep her up, checking up on the small flower still somehow chasing them. He was sitting there happily, shooting bullets at their backs still though they were now out of range.

The group disappeared around the corner, and they paused for a moment to catch their breath on a pile of leaves.

“We’re almost at your house now **Frisk**. We’ll be safe there.”

You nod and lean against the wall casually.

 **Esmeralda** pat Lexie gently on her back as the young Whimsun wheezed heavily. You didn’t know if Whimsuns had actual lungs, but judging from the tan winged creature’s lack of oxygen at the moment, you assumed she didn’t do much high speed flying.

You wait a second before checking behind you for **Flowey** , and seeing no one, you gesture for the others to follow you back to the house.  **Esmeralda’s** big gold eyes got larger as she stepped in front to stop you.

“NO!” You looked at her startled, and her expression changed. “I-I mean, no! We can’t go home yet, uh, **Lexie** is still kind of tired so…”

You look back at the girl, who sits and takes her cue to start coughing. You frown and walk over to pick the smaller monster up. She squeaks a bit at this, and you turn to **Onyx** and **Esmeralda**.

**_“ W e   n e e d   t o   g o   b a c k .   I t ’ s   n o t   s a f e   o u t s i d e . ”_ **

The three share a panicked glance behind you as you make your way back **Home** , walking up to the door. **Lexie** flutters out of your arms, knocking on the door once she’s up in the air, and **Onyx** covers your eyes as **Esmeralda** takes both your hands in hers. You feel the heat rush to your face as you hear quiet whispers from all around you. Nervously, you let **Esmeralda** lead you inside, and hear a couple of giggles from around you.    ** _W h a t   i n   t h e   K i n g ‘ s   n a m e   w a s   g o i n g   o n   h e r e ?_**

You're suddenly blinded by the light as **Onyx** removed his hands.

“ ** _SURPRISE!_** ”

The shouts come from all around you, and as your eyes adjust, you see **Esmeralda** in front of you, grinning horn to horn, with everyone from **Miss** **Dravern** to **Toriel** in front of you. Even so, you’re confused,    ** _w h a t   w e r e   t h e y   a l l   d o i n g ?_** ** _W a s   t h e r e   a   s p e c i a l   e v e n t   g o i n g   o n   t o d a y ?_**

 You relay this to the others, making each of them stop to look at you.

 **Toriel** walks over to you carefully.

“What do you mean what are we doing, don’t you know what day it is you dummy?” **Esmeralda** says accusingly.

 **Onyx** nudges her as **Toriel** kneels in front of you, and states her question carefully.

“ **Frisk**?”

You tilt your head.

“Do you remember, about a year ago, when we marked that calendar on the wall?” She pointed over to it.

You nod, that’s when **Toriel** decided what your birthdate would be from then on, since you didn’t remember your old one.

“Well, since you turn a year older today, we decided to get you some presents and made all your favorite foods. Like a party?

You scrunched your face in confusion.

**_“ W h y ? ”_ **

**Lexie** came forward a little bit.

“I mean, you’re really nice person?”

 **Mister** **Dravern** gave a hearty laugh and swooped you out from **Toriel**.

“And because you deserve a party Lil’ **Dreemurr**! You’ve really opened up this past year, even if I only met ya halfway through it.”

You giggle as he set you on his shoulders, and you found you were even taller than **Toriel**. **Miss Dravern** came up as well, giving you a warm smile as she held **Baby** in her arms.

“He’s right little one, you’ve come a long way.”

 **Toriel** chuckled.

“They really have. I remember when they would only talk to young **Jade** at one point, even though she could not understand them.”

You shake your head.

**“ B a b y   u n d e r s t a n d s ,   t h e y   k n o w   a   w h o l e   l o t   a b o u t   t h e   w o r l d . ”**

The adults all looked at **Frisk** amused, and the other three kids were in awe.

“You can understand baby **Frisk**?” **Esmeralda** had all the stars in her eyes.

You nod, promising to teach them sometime. They joyously agree to that, even **Baby** making a happy baby sound at the prospect.

 **Toriel** took a deep breath, gesturing the others into the living and dining area.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but at this point I’m famished. Shall we **Frisk**?”

You looked at everyone’s faces, thinking a moment before nodding, and telling **Mister** **Dravern** to hurry. He just laughed and walked as slowly as he could to the table, which you did not appreciate.

It was probably your favorite day of all, and you were pretty sure **Toriel** shed some tears as you blew out the candles and made a wish.

“What’d’ya wish for **Frisk**?”

You just looked at **Onyx** and grinned, racing away as a laugh escaped you.

**“ S e c r e t ~ ! ”**

“WHAT! **FRISK** THAT’S NOT FAIR!”

The rest of the evening was filled with playing, more food than you could ever eat in one night, and you even got presents from everyone! You put all of them in your room for safe keeping until you could properly look at them all, but you thanked everyone regardless. Eventually, it got late, and though there technically wasn’t any day or night in the **Underground** , it was time for everyone to get to bed. You bid goodbye to your friends, yawning as you took a nice bath. After you had changed into one of the still borrowed pair of green and yellow striped pajamas, you began to look at the gifts you had been given once more.

From **Toriel** you had gotten a new set of crayons, some new clothes, and a really cool apron that looked like something out of a weird movie you could remember seeing a long time ago. From **Mister** and **Miss** **Dravern** , they had gotten you a little sewing kit, and a fake oven for cooking little dishes in. It was helpful since you couldn’t use magic it seemed, and **Toriel** had never actually learned how to use the oven in her home without magic, so…yeah. It helped.

Your friends **Onyx** and **Esmeralda** had both given you a small set of wooden toys shaped like your small group of friends and family. They both admitted it was a lot of trial and error since they couldn’t use magic to the best of their ability yet, but they were still happy to give them to you! From **Lexie** , you had been given a really cool painting set with an easel, a little wooden coaster called a palette, and even a fancy apron just for painting! **Baby** just gave you a slobbery kiss, though you think she might have been trying to get the leftover icing on your check, you could assume what you wanted.

A knock on the door disturbed you, and in entered **Toriel**.

“Did you have a good day my child?” You let her help you to bed and tuck you in as you nodded.

 **B e s i d e s   a l m o s t   d y i n g   t o   F l o w e y   w I t h   y o u r   f r i e n d s ,   i t   w a s   a   g o o d   d a y .**   _You didn’t think **Toriel** needed to know about that._

“I am glad, I was a bit worried you wouldn’t enjoy yourself for a while…” she shook herself out of it, only to fall into deeper thought. “To think you’ve been here nearly a year now,”

You tilted your head as she began to murmur softly to yourself, too deep in thought to pay you any mind. You noticed her eyes seemed glossy in the low lighting, and hoped she wouldn’t cry. **_Y o u   n e v e r   k n e w   h o w   t o   h e l p   m o r e   t h a n   a   h u g   w h e n   s h e   d i d ,   a n d   i t   s c a r e d   y o u   t o   k n o w   t h e r e   w e r e   t h i n g s   s t r o n g   e n o u g h   t o   m a k e   y o u r   s t a n d – i n   g u a r d i a n   s a d ._**

“Normally they’ve all left by now.”

You manage to hear that and found you did know how to help her. You untucked yourself from your blankets, and crawled onto her lap, giving her the biggest hug you were capable of.

**“ I ’ m   g o i n g   t o   s t a y   f o r e v e r .   I   p r o m i s e . ”**

It wasn’t very much, but it seemed enough for **Toriel** , and she gave you a little hug back before tucking you back in.

“Now then, what story would you like tonight, my child?”

You point to the snail book sitting on the dresser, and she fetched it.

“This one again?”

You nod and settle in with your stuffed dummy.

“Well, it is a special day. Once upon a time….”

 

 


	9. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no words. Just pictures.

For help translating: [Written Monster Language](https://aunder.deviantart.com/art/Written-Monster-Language-Font-Download-698161020)

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

Woops. It's a bit smaller than I thought.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

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* * *

 

 

 

When I discovered I can't draw fur like I do hair. The pie looks delicious though.

 

* * *

 

 

That's all of it. My deviant will have a lot more in the future. Along with some sketches of a future comic. It's gonna be the sequel to the book. So that'll be in like a year or two since I'm gonna create a backlog before I post the first one. Still on hiatus, but still here to talk!

 

P.S. All the credits and stuff for the photos are in the original posts:

[Which You Can Find Here](https://aunder.deviantart.com/)

Just navigate

Gallery>GP!Universe

Or

Gallery>Undertale

for some other stuff I did

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured I'd post some art this week. As thanks ya know? All of you are so wonderful and perfect and amazing and great people. Thanks for letting me do this. So, I posted some art I drew on my DA for your viewing pleasure!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/17

You rolled over in bed, hearing in your sleep deprived state your stuffed dummy fall to the ground. You carefully leaned over the edge to grab it, then decide to get up instead.

No sleep had been a thing for a while now, with nightmares you don’t remember, and a lack of rest didn’t help with your constant headaches. They had been getting worse, and **Toriel** didn’t know what to do with you. You often heard her talking with others on the phone, and she would disappear sometimes to the city. She always came back energetic, but every time you woke up in her arms, her hope disappeared.

You made your way into the kitchen quietly, holding the dummy in one arm as you get a glass of water to calm you down. You emptied it fairly quickly, and refill it before making your way back to bed. As you passed the stairs though, you felt something you’ve never felt before pulling you downstairs. An urge almost, to go to the doors.

You made your way downstairs carefully holding onto you water and dummy, walking down the long hallway towards the huge double doors. You peek carefully around the corner, noting the silence ringing throughout the house. No headache pounds you when you go closer, and you take the moment to examine the doors. They were bigger than **Toriel** and had what everyone called a **Delta Rune** on them. You set down your glass of water and your dummy, and brush your hands against the door experimentally.

**“ I t ’ s   c o l d ? ”**

You glance back upstairs, waiting a moment before continuing your observations. You don’t push it,   **y o u   k n o w   t h e y   w i l l   s e a l   b e h i n d   y o u   i f   y o u   t r y   t o   e v e n   p e e k   o u t .** You clutch your head, a headache suddenly overtaking you.

 **“ O w . ”** You mutter, reaching for your glass of water, and take a slow sip to calm your mind.

You sit for a while, before deeming yourself tired enough to sleep again, and heading back upstairs. You set your empty glass back in the kitchen and crawl into your bed. Maybe this time you won’t wake up soaked.

 

“ **Frisk, Onyx** and **Esmeralda** are here!”

You race into the entrance way, sliding a little with your socks on, and grin at your friends.

“Heya **Frisk**!” **Onyx** smiles right back, and **Esmeralda** gives you a hug.

“Sorry we haven’t been over to play so much, school’s starting up again soon.”

 **Onyx** nodded, following as the three of you made your way back to your room.

“Yeah, Mom’s been making us practice our skills some more, along with our magic, so we don’t end up setting something on fire again.”

You tilt your head.

**“ S c h o o l ? ”**

The two of them looked at you surprised.

“Oh right, **Toriel’s** been homeschooling you instead right? How’s that been?”

You shrugged, sitting down as you offer your friends some of the chocolate bar you got from **Nappy**. They gratefully accept it.

“Yeah, its school right?”

You nod, and the three of you switch to more important topics as you play. Like, _how much pie can you eat in one sitting?_ And, _did you really make friends with a ghost?_

You play until it’s time for them to go, then say your goodbyes and run to help **Toriel** with dinner. She promised to show you how to make something this time, and you never passed up an opportunity for food.

You put on the apron you got for your birthday, and set up the stool next to **Toriel** by the counter. She watches amused as you roll up your loose white sleeves, and seem to prepare yourself for a battle.

“Alright my child, we will start simple. How does spaghetti sound?”

You nod vigorously, you loved spaghetti almost as much as you liked pie. **Toriel** chuckles and places several dishes out onto the counter before slipping on a pair of gloves. _To prevent her fur from getting in the food_ she tells you.

“We will start with the pasta. Combine three cups of flour.”

You measure it out carefully, making the wrong decision of plopping the last cup decisively onto the counter, causing a huge cloud of flour to surround you.

You clear your flour filled lungs as you and **Toriel** clear the air of the white powder. You grin sheepishly as she casts a scolding look your way, before continuing with the recipe.

“Right, now make a hill with the flour, and then a hole.”

You do as directed,   ** _t h e   s m a l l   m o u n t a i n   r e m i n d i n g   y o u   o f   y o u r   o r i g i n a l   f a l l ._**

“I am going to crack in three eggs.” **Toriel** cracks in three eggs, and hands you a jar of salt. “Now I want you to get a little pinch of salt between your fingers, and put that in as well.”

After you’ve done so, **Toriel** directs you on how to knead the dough together, making a lightly tanned dough that _you honestly don’t find very appealing_. You relay this to **Toriel** , and she laughs.

“It may not seem like it now my child, but it is very similar to how I make the pie crust. I promise you will like it.”

You set the dough aside for a while, and begin on the sauce next. **Toriel** doesn’t let you chop up the tomatoes, but she does let you assist in boiling them. Even though you don’t have any magic, she has you put the ingredients into the pot, as she boils the water to keep it warm. Soon it’s time to finish the pasta itself, and she places a lid on the pot while you work.

 **Toriel** separates the dough into three balls and places them on the counter.

“We will need to roll these out into thin circles next, can you do that while I prepare dessert young one?”

You nod and set to work as she mixes the ingredients for a **Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie** later. A good ten minutes later, you’ve finished rolling the dough, and **Toriel** has put the pie into the oven to warm until dinner.

“Now, I am going to slice these up, and dry them.” She did so, and then placed another boiling pot of water on the stove. “We will wait for these cook, it will not be long, and then we simply add in the sauce we have made.”

The two of you cleaned up the kitchen, then **Toriel** sent you to wash up before dinner, and she would set the table. You looked at yourself in the bathroom, you were quite the sight. Flour, tomato paste, and some dough dotted your hair, and the long sleeved striped shirt **Toriel** got you a few months back. You shrugged, it wasn’t a big deal. No matter how much mud or dirt you got on yourself, it always seemed to come right out. You had simply left the explanation as magic.

You finished up and came back to find the table set, with the pot of spaghetti in the middle. You excitedly hop onto your chair and wiggle as **Toriel** sits down beside you.

“Ready to eat, my child?”

You nod and wait to dig in until **Toriel** started eating. You are delighted to find that it came out great! Even though Monster Food in general always tasted awesome, you were still happy with the outcome.

“I think your first lesson was a success.”

You nod and shove another fork-full of spaghetti into your mouth. You eat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying your creation.

“Little one?”

You stop and glance up at her.

“I was thinking, you seem to enjoy playing with the other children that stop by, and I have done a lot of reading on parenting. Some of the information I already had was a bit outdated after all.”

You nod, **_Toriel_** _seems a bit nervous_.

“So, I was wondering,” she paused. “If you would like to start school with the others this year.”

You tilt your head.

**“ I ’ m   n o t   a l r e a d y   i n   s c h o o l ?”**

She shakes her head.

“While I am able to teach you, and I have been, it has come to my attention that it may be healthier for you to learn alongside others your age. Granted, there are some subjects you may be lost on, due to your-previous upbringing…”

You look down at your plate, though **Toriel** seems reinvigorated.

“But if you have any trouble you can ask me or your friends! I am sure they would be glad to help.”

You sit in silent thought for a minute, considering **Toriel’s** offer. **_Y o u   d i d   l i k e   s p e n d i n g   t i m e   w i t h   y o u r   f r i e n d s ,   b u t   .   .   .   y o u   d i d n ’ t   t h i n k   t h a t   t h i s   s c h o o l   w a s   v e r y   c l o s e   t o   H o m e .   A n  d   w h i l e   y o u   d i d n ’ t   m i n d   M o n s t e r s ,   y o u   h a d   f o u n d  t h a t    l a r g e   g r o u p s   t e n d ed    to   b e ,   o v e r  w h e l m i n g ._**

“My child?”

You looked back at **Toriel** , seeing the worry in her kind eyes, and then shrugged.

**“ W i l l   t h e r e   b e   l o t s   o f   p e o p l e ? ”**

**Toriel** nodded.

“Yes, however, most of them will be around your age, or younger. The only adults will be the teachers, and they are very kind.”

You tap your chin and take a final bite of food.

**“ I   c a n   d e c i d e   t o m o r r o w ? ”**

**Toriel** stands and begins to clear the table.

“Of course, you may wait as long as you like.”  You followed her into the kitchen and sat down on the counter as she washed up.

 “We would need to get a bag, school supplies, a uniform, you will probably need a lunch box…”

You patted her arm, and she cast a warm look your way before continuing her task.

“In any case, how about you go play for now? We can go over your letters before bed.”

You nod and hop down off the counter to head to your room. You stood in the middle of it for a moment, taking the time to examine it.

Over the course of the last year, you had gradually begun redecorating it. More paper drawings covered the wall, and **Toriel** had taken the time to add a bookshelf to the wall opposite your dresser. A picture of you and **Toriel** sat on the shelf with your toys, and in the corner was a pot of golden flowers. You didn’t much like them, but _they were kind of pretty once you overlooked the fact one of them tried to kill you._ Next to the pot was your easel, and on one of your shelves sat the tiny oven. You decide to stop staring and paint a picture for **Nappy**.

You knew he liked music, and he was a Ghost Monster, so you outline some music notes, and then the shape of a little ghost on the paper with black paint. Carefully, you then fill in the little ghost with gray and make the notes a bright blue. It takes a little longer to finish than you’d like, but soon it’s mostly dry, and you’ve finished painting in every detail. You add “ _For **Nappy**_ ” in the corner and smile. Taking a step back to admire your work and.

“ ** _Frisk?!_** ”

You open your eyes and find yourself in **Toriel’s** arms.   ** _W h a t   j u s t   h a p p e n e d ?_** You look up and see **Toriel** staring down at you worriedly.

“Are you alright my child? I heard something fall, and I came in and you were just lying there and…”

 _Oh, whoops._ You wiggle to give yourself some leeway, then give **Toriel** a hug, burrowing yourself into her shoulder.

**“ I ‘ m   o k a y . ”**

She sighs, picking both of you off the floor and setting you down on your bed.

“Perhaps rather than practice, it is time for bed.”

You whine, and she looks at you disapprovingly.

“ **Frisk**. I believe you need rest more than anything right now. Try to sleep now, okay?”

She nuzzles your forehead, making you giggle a bit at the sensation, and walks over to shut off your light.

“Goodnight my child.”

 **Toriel** closes the door to your room and sighs against it. She walks into the living room, beginning to pick up the papers she had dropped in her hurry.

“Whatever am I going to do with you” She murmurs and sits down with a book.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

You hold **Toriel’s** hand tightly as she weaves through the crowd, while the other Monsters seemed respectful of her, it seemed they didn’t quite know what to make of you yet. You simply avoided eye contact and stayed close to **Toriel** as you headed towards a supply store. As you enter the shop, you notice the crowd has thinned, and that it is much easier to breathe in here than in the marketplace. **Toriel** walks towards an area full of bags, allowing you to examine them before choosing.

You had decided on going to the school **Toriel** mentioned and had made an agreement that if after a month it wasn’t working, then **Toriel** would continue homeschooling you until a later date. So here you both were, a mother and child. Human and Monster, picking out school supplies.

You almost don’t know which bag to pick, until you see a SOUL bright cyan bag with red straps, and hold it up to **Toriel**. She nods, and you move on. You’ve finally found a lunch box that matches your bag when a voice pulls **Toriel’s** attention away from you.

“Ah! **Lady** **Toriel**!”

You duck behind her, peeking out from behind her and the pack to see who this new person was. Approaching them was a large, bear-like Monster, who reminded you of **Toriel** just a little bit. **Toriel** seemed happy to see the Monster and moved slightly away from you.

“ **Daaus**! I was not sure I would see you today! I thought **Kalar** would be watching the shop.”

The bear chuckled behind a raised paw.

“He’s out doing deliveries today,” She took notice suddenly of the small figure hiding behind **Toriel**. “And who is this little one?” You hide your face behind your backpack, making sure to stay behind **Toriel**.

“Now little one, I thought we were going to be brave today?” You sigh at **Toriel’s** words, another agreement that you had agreed to for the _soul purpose_ of agreeing. _Haha, SOUL_.

You move slightly out from behind **Toriel** , lowering your pack to wave at the shopkeeper, who smiles at you and kneels down.

“What’s your name child? I assume it’s not little one, is it?”

You smile slightly and shake your head.

**“ F r i s k . ”**

She gives you a small pat on the head and stands back up.

“It’s nice to meet you, **Frisk** , are you starting school soon?”

You nod, looking down at your feet. **Toriel** picks up the conversation and hands you the list to pick out the rest of your supplies. You look down the aisles, checking off items one by one. You try to keep to a theme, making sure to get as many things that were SOUL cyan and red as possible. You even managed to find a set of sparkly gel pens to use that matched your chosen colors. You sat down on the floor and began looking through your makeshift grocery bag. Pencils, paper, notebooks, pens, erasers, glue, 3 folders, a water bottle, a new set of colored pencils, crayons, and markers, and your personal favorite, a pretty SOUL patterned planner for you to keep track of stuff with. You bring your catch back to **Toriel** , tugging on her dress to get her attention.

“Yes my child? Oh, are you done, did you get everything?”

You nod and hold up your now filled bag of goodies.

“Come on back **Lady** **Toriel** , I’ll ring you up.”

You follow the two women to a counter at the back of the store and begin putting your supplies onto the surface one by one. The two mothers shared an amused look as you seem to remember something, and run to find it before **Toriel** finishes paying.

“Quite the energetic little youngster.”

Toriel nods, a small smile on her face.

“They become very reserved around large crowds, but once they feel comfortable, it is like they cannot run fast enough at times.”

 **Daaus** began to look at each item and tally it up.

“I wonder if **Vaalor** and **Frisk** might get along, he seems quite reserved at times, but I think he might like them.”

 **Toriel** shrugged, watching as you set a pair of scissors and some stickers on the counter.

“Tell him I will have a slice of pie waiting should he ever want to stop by.”

She nodded.

“I’ll be sure to.” **Daaus** glanced down at her calculator, making sure to add the extra items. “That’ll be 330g.”

Your partially-opened eyes widened, then narrowed again. Admittedly, _while you had been learning quite a bit, you didn’t know much about money down here._ **W h a t   d i d   G   s t a n d   f o r ?   O r   i s   t h a t   j u s t   w h a t   t h e   c u r r e n c y   i s   c a l l e d .** You shrugged internally as **Toriel** paid, then gathered the stuff back in your bag. You shrugged the pack on, making sure to adjust the straps before walking towards the door.

“I’ll see you later **Lady Toriel**!”

She waved back at the shopkeeper, taking your hand as she pushed the door open.

“Take care **Daaus** , tell the others I said hello.”

And with that, the first part of your adventure was over. You felt slightly better about being here now, and it showed with how you didn’t hide quite as much as before. Toriel noticed your bright aura and led you towards the middle of the city.

“Now we will register you for school, alright?”

You nod and pause when you arrive at a large building, which looked suspiciously like a city hall. **Toriel** noticed your stare and led you up the steps.

“I know it seems a bit much for a school, but once we moved out of the **Ruins** , it was decided to turn this into a school by the **Queen**.”

You wondered who the **queen** was and if you would ever get to meet her. You hoped you would be able to one day, she sounded like a nice lady. The **king** sounded kind of funny to you, but you figured if you met the **queen** , you’d have to meet him too.

 **Toriel** stopped in front of a counter-like desk that you couldn’t see over, but could hear the voices as she talked.

“Afternoon **Jughe**.”

A shuffling.

“Ah! My Lady-“

“ **Toriel** will do **Jughe** , there is no need for formalities.”

“Uh, r-right. So, what can I do for you?”

“I am here to register a child.”

There was a pause, and you take note of the awkward silence.

“Um, I- Alright. I’ll let **Mister Waulker** know you’re coming then, you can go on up.”

“Thank you, come my child.”

You glance back at _the flabbergastered_ _receptionist_ , and try not to read into the pity in her eyes. **Toriel** leads you up another set of stairs, and knocks on a large wooden door.

A deep, warm voice resounds from inside. “Come in.”

You take a deep breath as **Toriel** pushes the door open to a neat, orderly office. You glance up and see yet another huge Monster of **Toriel’s** stature, though this one looks more like a lion.

“Ah, **Miss Toriel** , I see we have a new student here?”

She beams at him, and sits down at one of the chairs in front of the desk. You take a hint and do the same, keeping your hands neatly folded in your lap to do your best impression of a well-behaved child. Not that you weren’t, _you were a very good kid_. **Toriel** never lied, and she told you so every day.

“Yes, this is **Frisk** , they have been living in my residence for a year now, and I believe it is time for them to start at a public school.”

The large feline raised an eyebrow.

_…_

_How did that work._

“I assume you’ve been teaching them the basics then, and they are used to large crowds of…” he paused. “ **Frisk** does use, they, correct?”

 **Toriel** nodded, and the Lion turned his attention to you.

“It’s nice to meet you then **Frisk**.”

You nod.

“My name is **Mister Waulker** , I’m the headmaster of the **Ruins** **Schools** , and principle of the Elementary branch.”

You nod, squirming with all the attention placed on you.

“There’s an orientation in a few days for both students and parents if you would like.” He hands **Toriel** a small paper, who glances at it before letting you look. It’s quite pretty, and you feel yourself getting hyped just by reading.

“ **Frisk** will have to take a test in order to qualify, and there are the forms.”

 **Mister Waulker** handed **Toriel** a small packet, and then looked back at you.

“If they would like, they can take the test today. We do have a couple other students coming for the same reason, perhaps they could make some friends before schools starts.”

You shrug, glancing up at **Toriel** , who nods.

“If they are okay with it that would be fine. What time is testing?”

He looked at a small piece of paper on his desk.

“Around 4 o’ clock.”

 **Toriel** thought for a moment, then agreed.

“We will return in a few hours then.”

The feline headmaster nodded and gestured to the papers.

“In there should be a note somewhere you can give to **Deleighla** since her shop does the uniforms. She can supply the uniform for **Frisk** by next week.”

 **Toriel** nodded again.

The two adults stood, shaking hands, and **Mister** **Waulker** turned to you, holding out a paw for you to shake. You took it shyly, allowing him to shake hands with you.

“I look forward to seeing you at Orientation **Frisk**.”

You nod again and follow **Toriel** out of the room. **Toriel** waves to the receptionist on your way out, and pauses once the two of you reach the plaza.

“Well my child, shall we head to the tailor? I’m sure you are eager to choose your variation.”

You are a bit confused, but agree anyway, tucking the flyer from **Mister** **Waulker** into your backpack as you walk.

You are about to follow **Toriel** into the small shop when you hear a familiar shout through the crowd.

“Come on **Nyx**! You know I don’t balance well with my tail!”

You stop and turn around to head towards the voices. You duck through the crowd and are delighted to see the dragon-like siblings standing in front of a fountain. **Baby** was sitting on the edge playing with the water, while their mother stood off to the side talking to another adult. You run towards them, waving at the two to get their attention.

**“ O n y x !   E s m e r a l d a ! ”**

The two children snapped their heads towards you, grins lighting up their faces.

“ **Frisk**!”

You reach the fountain, giving **Onyx** a high-five, and smiling at **Esmeralda**.

“What are you doing out here Frisk? I thought you stayed near Home?”

You sit next to Baby, who climbs on your lap to tug on your pack straps.

**“ T o r i e l   a n d   m e   a r e   s h o p p i n g   f o r   s c h o o l .   A n d   s i g n i n g   m e   u p   f o r   t h e   o n e   i n   t h e   C i t y ”**

**Esmeralda** got excited, taking in your backpack, and the flyer sticking out of your bag.

“You’re starting school here?! That’s gonna be awesome!”

You nod and wave at **Miss Dravern** as she hurries over.

“ **Frisk**! What are you doing here? Where is **Miss Toriel**?!”

You shrug, and Onyx looks up at his mom.

“ **Frisk** and **Miss Toriel** are here for school shopping! **Frisk** is gonna start school with us this year.”

 **Miss Dravern** hesitates and turns to look around at the crowd.

“ **Frisk**? Do you know where **Miss Toriel** is? Where were you two going?”

You think for a moment.

**“ T o   g e t   a   u n i f o r m . ”**

She nods and hurries off after asking us to wait. You sit with **Baby** , talking excitedly with your friends until she comes back with a relieved **Toriel** in tow.

“ **Frisk**! Goodness child.”

She places a hand on her forehead.

“So this is where you ran off to. You gave me quite the scare.”

You look down nervously.

**“ S o r r y . ”**

**Toriel** knelt down to your height.

“It is okay my child, but please stick close to me from now on? I do not want you getting lost. Small the Ruins may be, you still do not know your way around.”

You nod, and **Toriel** rubs your head.

“I am sorry to pull you away from, but I believe you still have a uniform to get fitted.”

You nod and try to set down Baby so you can follow. Only to realize that she was refusing to release you. You look helplessly back at the others, who laugh at your troubles.

 **Miss Dravern** speaks up, “Why don’t you take her with you, for now, **Frisk** , I can come and pick her up at the house later.”

You brighten at this, and **Toriel** gives the okay.

 **Onyx** and **Esmeralda** do not seem so pleased.

“Mom why can’t we go!”

Their mother turns to them sternly.

“Because you two have a doctor’s appointment we need to get to, and I can’t put all four of you on **Miss Toriel** all day.”

They sigh begrudgingly and wave goodbye as you half-carry **Baby** after **Toriel**.

You finally walk into the store and are overwhelmed by the amount of pretty fabrics and patterns that surround you. You still for a moment, readjusting your hold on Baby, before moving ahead.

“ **Deleighla**? Are you in here?”

A whinny sounds from the back, and you hear a loud click-clack as a horse like being with blonde hair comes into view.

“Oh **Miss Torial** , I didn’t know ya ware comin’ in tudaay! And with two littal ones after ya at that.”

The equestrian-like woman gestured the two of you to a set of couches, sitting down carefully in front of you.

“So what brings ya’ll to my fi~ine shop this evenin’?”

 **Toriel** smiled at her, handing her the note from the school.

“The three of us are here to have **Frisk** fitted for the new school year. They need a uniform.”

The women look at you, and **Deleighla** seems to look you over for a moment before nodding to herself.

“Easy nuff’! Does the lil’ darlin’ know what version they want?”

 **Toriel** shook her head.

“You would not happen to have the pictures anywhere, would you? I am afraid I myself am not the best artist, so I could not do them justice if I tried to show them.”

The woman chuckled and looked through a box behind the couch.

“Oh, you flattar me **Miss Torial**. Take note youngin’” She glanced down at you as she pulled out a sheet of paper. “Flattery’ll git ya everywhere in li~ife.”

 **Toriel** gasped comically.

“Why **Deleighla**! Do not teach them that, they might just take it to heart!”

You giggle at the two and take the paper from **Deleighla’s** outstretched hoofs.

_How did she hold things without fingers…oh well. Magic, you guess._

You look over the uniforms and grin. _No matter which one you chose, you would love it!_ Although, _it might be hard to run around in a skirt…so maybe pants would be better._ **Y o u   l i k e   t h e   m o r e   f e m i n i n e   u n i f o r m , _b u t   i t   l o o k s   h a r d   t o   m o v e   a r o u n d   i n ._ ** You point to the male one, and the two adults nod, though you do have a question.

**“ U m ,   e x c u s e   m e ? ”**

You catch the two women’s attention.

**“ C a n   I   s t i l l   h a v e   t h e   p r e t t y   r i b b o n ? ”**

You point to the small bow under the collar of the other version, and **Deleighla** nods.

“That is not a problem youngin’!”

You smile at her and bounce **Baby** on your lap a little as she babbles. Maybe all this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The characters Daaus, Kalar, and Vaalor, all belong to Zaravan! Thank you for your contribution! Don't worry, Vaalor himself will make his appearance soon!-


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

**Frisk                   AGE 10                    8:19**

**Ruins - Classroom**

**File saved.**

**F I L E _ G E N O C I D A L _ P A C I F I S T _ S A V E D**

###### 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

**_Y – Y o u   r e a l l y   h a t e   m e   t h a t   m u c h ?_ **

****

**_Y o u   r e a l l y   a r e   n o   d i f f e r e n t   t h a n   t h e m !_ **

****

**_B e   g o o d .   W o n ' t   y o u ?_ **

 

You bolted up with a start, the nightmare already fading. You let your body fall back onto your bed, and take in a few shaky breaths. **Toriel** is cooking something in the kitchen, and the smell of pancakes and pie fills your nose, giving you enough strength to sit back up.

Your backpack sits by the end of your bed, your fitted uniform is hung up carefully in the wardrobe.  You wait to get dressed, choosing instead to spend a minute in the bathroom before seeing **Toriel**.

You take a brush to your hair, which was in desperate need of a haircut.   ** _Y o u   k i n d   o f   l i k e d   I t   l o n g e r  t h o u g h ,   m a y b e   y o u   c o u l d   g r o w   i t   o u t   a   b i t ._**

You finish washing up and head out to the kitchen to have breakfast. **Toriel** was already sitting at the table, and it only took her a moment to notice you coming through the walkway.

“Ah! There you are, my child. I was just about ready to come wake you up, had you been just a bit later.”

You smile sheepishly at her, sitting down at your place to examine a golden pancake. You really had to find a way to make up all the delicious food she’d made you the past year. Perhaps you’d make something in return.

The two of you began eating, and you decide that    ** _y o u   d e f i n i t e l y   h a d   t o   m a k e   i t   u p   t o   h e r ._** You eat in the comfortable silence you had accustomed to, with a few short sentences here and there. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to chat, but it had become a bit routine during meals that you would simply enjoy the food and each other's company. **Toriel** was a bit too used to eating alone, and you…

**_Y o u   d i d n ’ t   h a v e   m u c h   e x p e r i e n c e   a t   a   d i n n e r   t a b l e   a n y w a y ._ **

Once the meal was done, **Toriel** sent you away to finish getting ready while she cleaned up. You happily obliged, excitedly pulling out your uniform and laying it out neatly on the bed. It really had come out nicely, and after trying it on you found it was even more comfortable than your normal clothes. You got dressed and picked your backpack up to drop it by the doorway.

 **Toriel** met you in the entrance way, carrying your lunchbox. She smiled warmly at you, then seemed to hesitate once before disappearing towards the bedrooms. You stood confused for a moment till she came back with a hairbrush and ribbons.

“I do not know what your preference is my child, but if you would like,” **Toriel** held up the ribbons to your hair. “I could do your hair up. Like in the picture books.”

Your face lit up.

 ** _“ Y e s   p l e a s e !”_** You shout and turn around to let **Toriel** work.

You hear her chuckle behind you and fidget with your hands as you feel your hair get pulled around a bit. You had always wanted to get your hair did up before, but it there had either been no one around to do it, or it wasn’t long enough.

“Alright, I’m done.”

You immediately run down the hallway to the mirror at the end and examine her work. **Toriel** had divided your hair into two pigtails on the side of your head. Each had been slightly tucked in to create a small loop. The ribbons held them in place with ease, and despite them being a bit loose, they also felt like they could hold forever.

You ran back to **Toriel** , making sure to _hug her as tight_ _as humanly possible._

**“ T h a n k   y o u . ”**

She chuckled, returning your hug. Though not quite as strong so as not to crush you.

“You’re very welcome, my child.”

There was a loud knock on the door and a shout from outside. The two of you pulled away, and you loaded up with your lunch box and backpack. You placed your hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath.

“Be careful. Do not stray from the other children. You have your phone?”

You nod.

**“ I n   m y   p a c k . ”**

You open the door, facing **Esmeralda** , **Onyx** , **Lexie** , and a couple of other Monster children you didn’t recognize. You smile nervously at the others, giving a little wave to them.

“Hiya **Frisk**!” **Onyx** greets you first, his enthusiasm was contagious, and _you felt yourself feeling much_ _braver_.

 **Esmeralda** grabbed your arm, pulling you away from the door with a surprising amount of force.

“Come on **Frisk**! We can’t be late for our first day!”

The other children followed quickly, **Lexie** waving back at **Toriel** for a moment.

“Bye **Miss Toriel**!”

“Goodbye children. Do not get lost on your way there.”

One of the younger Froggit-like children laughed.

“We won’t!”

You had just made it to the entrance to the city from **Home** , when you hesitated a moment, then turned back at a run.

“ **Frisk**?”

“Where are you going?!”

You caught sight of **Toriel** about to shut the door and barrel into her legs. You bury yourself in her dress a moment, breathing in the scent of the fireplace and butterscotch pie.

“My child? What’s wrong?”

You shake your head as you let go, smiling up at her.

**_“ I   l o v e   y o u   m o m . ”_ **

You turn back, racing to where your friends were peeking around the entrance.

**“ R a c e   y o u   t h e r e ! ”**

The others immediately respond to the challenge, laughing and running after you.

“ **Frisk** wait!”

“Come on that’s not fair!”

You laughed and _slow enough to let the others catch up. You don’t know where you’re going anyway_.

 

You ended up actually making it to school with plenty of time, though you did run most of the way here. Now the six of you were resting at one of the tables in the courtyard of the Elementary school. It turned out that the building you had entered with **Toriel** when registering served as the Main Building for the entire system and held the special classes, offices, gym, Daycare, and auditorium.  The courtyard itself was both the schoolyard and cafeteria and was connected to each branch of the school system on each side. It turned out the ribbon color on each uniform was related to your grade. So **Toriel** had matched your hair ribbons to your outfit. Elementary school was a bright red color. Like your soul.

You glance around the courtyard, taking in the trees with red leaves, and feeling an urge to play in the piles under them. You ignore this urge instead to ask the others what time it was. **Onyx** checked the time on a watch his grandpappa had given him.

“About 10 minutes till. Guess we should at least find the room huh?”

The others nodded, and you began to walk to class. Except for **Lexie** , who decided instead to rest in **Esmeralda’s** arms. You shifted under the weight of your bag, _regretting taking everything in at once._ **B u t   h o w   w e r e   y o u    s u p p o s e d   t o   k n o w   i f   y o u   n e e d e d   s o m e t h i n g ?   W h a t   i f   y o u   d i d n ’t   h a v e   it  ?   Y o u    d i d n ’ t   w a n t   t o   l e a v e  t h e   I m p r e s s i o n   o f   s o m e o n e   w h o   f o r g e t s   t h i n g s   o n   t h e   f i r s t   d a y.   E s p e c i a l l y   n o w .**

You stopped in front of a lavender stained wood door and looked at the others for confirmation. The bigger Froggit kid- **Harper** \- nodded, then went to take their younger sibling to class. You wave and knock on the door.

“You don’t have to knock silly,” **Esmeralda** brushes past you and entered the classroom, you and **Onyx** hurried after her and **Lexie** , sharing an exasperated glance over your friend's pushiness.

“Oh, Good Morning! I was not expecting students so early.”

Sitting at a desk near the corner of the room was a sheep-like woman in a soft yellow dress. She stood up and made her way towards the four of you. You grasped **Onyx’s** hand tightly, who noted your anxiety and came forward just a little to stand in front of you.

“Good Morning Ma’am. Are you our teacher this year?” **Lexie** asked curiously, and she chuckled.

“I should hope so, otherwise I would not be here.” The woman gave each of you a quick once over and introduced herself as **Miss Schepp**. The rest of you took your cues and did the same, taking a moment as well to find your seats.

You ended up sitting the same row of some of your friends. You were the last of the group to need introductions, but luckily was saved by new students coming into the classroom, and **Miss** **Schepp’s** attention was pointed away from you.

You breathed a small sigh of relief, and taking out a book you brought from **Home** to pass the time. Your friends knew you would want to do this on your own, even if **Toriel** had given them the task of looking out for you. _Not that they told you that._

As more and more people filled the room, and found seats, you could feel the stares and hear the whispers of the other children. Clearly, they didn’t get new students all that much. _It could also have something to do with your race_ , **b u t   t h a t   s h o u l d n ’ t   m a t t e r   t o o   m u c h   l a t e r   o n ,   r i g h t ?**

The bell rang, and class started.

“Alright everyone, quiet down now.”

The chatter stopped, though you could still feel the eyes on you. You kept your attention on your teacher.

“Thank you, I suppose we should start with introductions.”

She wrote her name in large neat letters on the board.

“My name is **Miss** **Schepp**. I will be your teacher for the rest of the year.” She paused a moment to let her students absorb this information. “Now, I was introduced to a few of you earlier, but why not get to know each other a bit more? We will start with row 1, and work our way down the line from right to left.”

 **Miss Schepp** gestured to **Lexie** , who unfortunately for her was sitting in the first spot.

“Would you kindly start us off Miss?”

She let out a startled squeak and nodded slightly. She fluttered up to face the rest of the classroom.

“M-my name is **Alexa Alborn**. I prefer **Lexie** though. I-If that’s okay.”

The class nodded, some giving her some kind words of encouragement that made her cover her face and whirl around in her seat. **Miss** **Schepp** smiled kindly at her.

“It is nice to meet you, **Lexie**.”

Then we moved on to the next student.

" **Caroot AfterMean**. I like salad."

" **PJ Chase**. It’s nice to meet you all."

" **Meowanie Claus**. I like anime."

" **Shamgar Devnet**. . . ."

“ **Esmeralda Dravern**. Let’s get along!”

“ **Onyx Dravern**. Nice to meet everyone.”

All eyes turned to you, and you stood up like the others. You took a deep breath.

“ **M y   n a m e ’ s   F r i s k   D r e e m u r r .   I   h o p e   w e   c a n   g e t   a l o n g . ”** You glanced at the others for confirmation, then sat down. It was silent for a moment before your neighbor stood to continue.

“ **Antione Frances**. I like cooking.”

" **Lewi Herodion**. I can’t wait to play games with ya’ll!"

“ **Dil Lestowell**. I’m gonna be a scientist when I grow up.”

“ **May Line**. I like sewing.”

“ **Bell Line**. I like hairdressing.”

“ **Peppa Miime**. I like spiders.”

" **Harriet Planter**. Have a magical day."

“ **Jacki Qwlin**. I’m gonna get the best grades.”

“ **Flyanne Rubbit**. I like cinnamon rolls.”

“ **Mira Singer**. I’m the coolest.”

“ **Rogue Won**. I’m going to see the stars one day!”

“ **Duje Wuw**. I like computers.”

The teacher nodded, marking a few things on a notebook on her desk. She clapped her hands together.

“Excellent! Now that that’s over, let’s move on to our curriculum for the year. We will be covering more advanced math than last year, along with more history. We will also begin classes on your more advanced magic, and on SOULS. That will be a bit later in the year, however, so for now, I want to hand out your books, our first homework assignment-”

Groans resounded throughout the classroom, she held up her hands.

“Relax, this isn’t horrible. It’s a simple About Me worksheet. We will present them tomorrow. Why don’t we choose our classroom helpers for this month?”

You frowned slightly, looking down at your desk. What was a classroom helper? Maybe it was an **Underground** thing?

“Frisk?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All OC's except for Lexie are mine.
> 
> Lexie is Dragonsrule18.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised: 10/11/2017

“Frisk?”

You sat up a little straighter and looked **Miss** **Schepp**. She was looking over at you softly.

“Would you be willing to be our paper passer?”

Paper passer? You nodded, feeling the stares once again on your back.

**“ O k a y . ”**

She smiled a little bit bigger and moved on to assign other roles to the students. You felt a poke in your back and turned around to face a bird-like child with round glasses. You assumed they were female due to the choice of uniform.

“Hey, your **Frisk** right?” They whispered you nodded.

“Awesome, my name’s **Harriet**. **Harriet Planter**.”

You smile a little bit and nod again. You turn back around and hold your hands in your lap semi-nervously. She reminded you of someone, though you couldn’t place who.

“Alright, **Frisk**? Would you please pass out tonight’s papers? **Mira, Rogue** , will you pass out the books?”

You nod and stand with the others to collect the stacks from her desk. You walk down the aisle’s handing one of each to your classmates. You notice _most avoid eye contact with you_ , while still   **o t h e r s   s m i l e   i n   t h a n k s .**

You sit back down, feeling the awkward stares as you flip through a workbook. Lots of numbers, lots of lines. You didn’t understand either quite yet. You huff softly, and pick up the history book, feeling a small smile form as you look over that instead. You didn’t know what it was about it that was so interesting, but _Monster History has held your attention since you fell._ Even if it did scare you a little at times, you had read almost all the History books on the shelf at this point. Toriel had limited you of course, so there were those final few you hoped to get through. And now that you went to school… _you wondered if there was a library_. You’d have to ask.

“Now that everyone is settled, let’s go over some classroom rules.”

 **Miss Schepp** walked over to a poster near the window. It was labeled: “Guidelines for a Happy School Year.” _Kind of cheesy_ , but   **y o u   c o u l d   a p p r e c i a t e   t h e   g o o d w i l l   b e h i n d   i t .** She read each one out loud to you all, explaining what she expected, and how much she believed that all of us would do a good job this year. Then the bell rang, and everyone started to go to lunch.

You grabbed the history book, and your lunch then stood up. **Esmeralda** , **Onyx** , and **Lexie** came over to you, smiling.

“It’s not so bad, huh **Frisk**?”

You nodded, following them out the door. **Onyx** noticed the book in your arms.

“Geez, starting that already? I thought you’d at least wait a day before nerd-ing out over boring old history.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, moving forward a bit to walk next to **Esmeralda**.

“Hey!”

You shared an amused grin with **Esmeralda** , and your small group walked into the courtyard. There were a lot of other students here, some younger from the daycare, and some older from the high school. Either way _there was a lot of people_ , and you shrunk back from the crowd. Your friends shared a look, then led you to a quieter corner near where the little ones were playing. You gave a grateful sigh and sat down in the grass with your lunch. You made sure to give your friends bits of Toriel’s pie since she had packed a little extra for the occasion. At some point, the owlish girl **Harriet** joined you, and the conversation took a direction you didn’t expect.

“So **Frisk** ,” **Harriet** swallowed a mouthful of food. “You’re a human, right?”

You hesitated, noting the wary looks your friends had, before answering.

**“ Y e s . ”**

Her eyes lit up.

“So cool! So you’ve seen the surface? What’s it like?”

 **Onyx** spoke up for you.

“ **Harriet** , you didn’t know this, but the **Surface** is kind of a sore subject for them. So they appreciate us not bringing it up.” You tap **Onyx** on the shoulder. “ **Frisk**?”

You shake your head.

**“ I t ’ s   f i n e . ”**

You take a deep breath, closing your eyes. _You could tell them the good things._

 **“ _I t ’ s   h a r d   t o   e x p l a i n   I   g u e s s ._** ** _T h e r e   a r e   g o o d   a n d   b a d   t h i n g s   a b o u t   b e i n g  u p  t h e r e ._** **I   n e v e r   g o t    t o   s e e   a l l  o f   i t ,   I ’ m  j u s t   a   k i d .   S o   I   c  o u l d n ’ t   l e a v e   t h e   t o w n  I  w a s   i n   o n   m y   o w n . ”** You tap your fingers on your book. **“ I   w o n ’ t   b o r e   y o u   w i t h   t h e   d e t a i l s   o f   t h e i r   h i s t o r y ,   o r    t h e ,   o t h e r   t h i n g s .   B u t   t h e r e ’ s   w e a t h e r ?   W h i c h   I   d o n ’t   t h i n k  w e   h a v e   d o w n   h e r e . ”**

You open your eyes, and gesture to the ceiling.

 **“ T h e r e ’ s   t h e   s u n ,   t h i s   g i a n t  b a l l   o f   f i re   a n d   l i g h t   i n  t h e   s k y .   I t   k e e p s   e v e r y t h i n g   w a r m   a n d   b r i g h t ,   b u t   y o u   c a n ’ t   l o o k   a t   i t   w i t h o u t   s p e c i a l   g l a s s e s .   T h e n   a t   n i g h t ,   i t   d i s a p p e a r s ,   a n d   i n s t e a d ,   t h e   m o o n   c o m e s   o u t ,   w h i c h , ”** You make a circle. **“ I s   l i k e   a   s i l v e r   b a l l   o f   c h e e s e   t h a t   g l o w s .** **T h e   s t a r s   c o m e   o u t   t o o ,   t h e y ’ r e   l i k e   f I r e f l i e s ,   a n d   t w i n k l e   a g a i n s t   a   b l a c k   b a c k d r o p . ”**

Your friends are totally engrossed in the story now, and you notice a few little ones have started to listen in. You don’t mind, it’s not like the whole courtyard is gathered around you.

 **“ I t ’ s   n o r m a l l y   p r e t t y   w a r m   u p   t h e r e ,   b u t   s o m e t i m e s   i t ’ l l   r a i n ,   o r   s t o r m .   R a i n   i s   w h e n    w a t e r   i n   t h e   c l o u d s – w h it e   c o t t o n   b a l l s   i n   t h e   s k y -   g e t s   h e a v y   e n o u g h   t o   f a l l   d o w n   t o   E a r t h ,   l i k e   a   h u g e   o u t d o o r   s h o w e r .   T h u n d e r s t o r m s   a r e    s i m i l a r ,   b u t   t h e r e   a r e   t h u n d e r   a n d   l i g h t n i n g   a d d e d   t o   t h e   r a i n .   T h u n d e r   i s   t h i s   r e a l l y   l o u d   n o i s e   t h a t   c o m e s   a f t e r   l i g h t n i n g   l i k e , ”** you clap your hands together as hard as you can, startling your friends a bit, and drawing the attention of others in the courtyard. **“ A n d   l i g h t n i n g   i s   t h i s   H U G E   f l a s h   t h a t   l i g h t s   u p   t h e   w h o l e   w o r l d   f o r   a   m o m e n t . ”**

**“ T h e r e ’ s   s e a s o n s   t o o .   T h e r e ’ s   a   t h i n g   c a l l e d   s n o w ,   i t ’ s   a   l o t   l i k e  r a i n ,   b u t   i t ’ s   f r o z e n   w h e n   i t   f a l l s   f r o m   t h e   s k y . ”**

**Harriet** frowned. “Wouldn’t that hurt when it falls?”

You shake your head.

 **“ T h a t ’ s   c a l l e d   h a i l .   I t   d o e s   h u r t ,   b u t   s n o w   i s   d i f f e r e n t . ”** It’s your turn to get excited now. **“ S n o w   i s   p r o b a b l y   t h e   o n l y   t h i n g   I ’ l l   m i s s   u p   a b o v e .   I t ’ s   a   p u r e ,   c l e a n   w h i t e .   A n d   w h e n   i t   f a l l s ,   i t ’ s   s m a l l   a n d   s o f t   a n d   f l u f f y .** **I t ’ s   a l s o   R E A L L Y   c o l d ,   b u t   s o m e t i m e s   e n o u g h   f a l l s   t h a t   y o u   c a n   p l a y   i n   i t .   I t   s p a r k l e s   t o o .  L i k e   s o m e o n e   p o u r e d   a n   e n t i r e   j a r   o f   g l i t t e r    o n t o   t h e   g r o u n d .   I n   t h e   m o r n i n g s   w h e n   t h e   s u n   c o m e s   u p ,   i t   l o o k s   l i k e   a   f a i r y t a l e   p i c t u r e .  S o m e t i m e s   i t ’ s   m o r e   l i k e   a   p o w d e r ,   a n d   y o u   c a n ’ t   s h a p e   a n y t h i n g   w i t h   i t ,   b u t   i t   p o o f s    a r o u n d   y o u   l i k e   f  l o u r .   T h e n   s o m e t i m e s   i t ’ s   a    l i t t l e   s t i c k i e r ,   a n d   y o u   s h a p e   j u s t   a b o u t   a n y t h i n g !   Y o u   c a n   m a k e   s n o w b a l l s ,   a n d   t h e n   h a v e   a   s n o w b a l l    f i g h t   w I t h   y o u r   f r i e n d s .   Y o u   c o u l d   m a k e   a   s n o w m a n ,   l i e   d o w n   i n   t  h e   s n o w   a n d   m a k e   a   s n o w   a n g e l .   I   e v e n   m a d e   a   s m a l l   i g l o o   o n e   t i m e !   A n   i g l o o   i s   a   d o m e – s h a p e d   h o u s e   y o u   c a n   s i t   i n s i d e .   I   h a d   a   l i t t l e   c h a i r   a n d   e v e r y t h i n g . ”**

At this point, you're involved in the story too and don’t notice the group of children that has formed around you or the cluster of teenagers and a few teachers on the edges listening in.

**“ B u t   b e f o r e   w i n t e r ,   w h i c h   i s   w h e n   a l l   t h e   s n o w    c o m e s .   T h e r e ’ s   a u t u m n ,   w h i c h  i s   i n   t h e   m i d d l e   o f   s u m m e r   a n d   w i n t e r .   T h e n   a l l   o f   t he    l e a v e s   o n   t h e  t r e e s  g o   f r o m   G r e e n   t o   O r a n g e ,   Y e l l o w ,   a n d   R e d .  I t ’ s   l  i k e   a   f i re    bu r n i n g   a l l   a r o u n d   y o u ,   b u t   m o r e  c o l o r f u l   a n d   i t  d o e s n ’ t   h u r t   a n y t h i n g !   A l l   t h e   l e a v e s   f a l l  o f f   t h e   t r e e s   t h e n ,    a n d   f o r m   p i l e s   y o u   c a n   j u m p   i n t o  a n d   t h r o w   a r o u n d .  T h e r e   a r e  p u m p k i n   p a t c h e s   a n d   c o r n   m a z e s .   T h e r e ’ s   a l s o  a   l o t   o f   c a n d y ,   t h o u g h   I ’ m   n o t  s u r e   w h a t   i t   w a s   a b o u t.   I t   t a s t e d  g o o d   t h o u g h .  T h e r e ’ s   a l s o   S p r i n g ,  a n d   t h e   w e a t h e r    i s  a   l o t   l i k e   i t   i s   h e r e   i n  t h e   R u i n s .   I t  c a n   b e   k i n d   o f   co l d   s o m e t i m e s ,   b u t  a l s o  w a r m .   F l o w e r s   b l o o m   e v e r y w h e r e ,   a n d  t h e r e  a r e   l i t t l e   c r e a t u r e s   c a l l e d   b e e s  t h a t   g o  b u z z – bu z z   a r o u n d   t h e   f l o w e r s .   A  l o t   of   b a b i e s   a r e   b o r n  a r o u n d   t h a t  t i m e ,  a n d   i t ’s   a l w a y s   f u l l  o f   s o f t  a n d   h a p p y   c o l o r s . ”**

You look at **Harriet** , unnerved by her expression.

**“ I s   t h a t   o k a y ? ”**

You glance at **Esmeralda**.

**“ D i d   I   s a y   s o m e t h i n g   w e i r d ? ”**

Now you notice the group of people surrounding you with awed expressions, and immediately clam up. **Lexie** notices first, how tense your body is, how prepared to **FLEE** you are, and flutters closer to you.

“It’s okay,” she murmurs. “They liked your story. Look at the little kids.”

You follow her advice nervously and see the children looking at you wide-eyed. It reminds you of **Baby** and you kind of like it, but   ** _t h e r e   a r e   j u s t   t o o   m a n y   p e o p l e ._** You shake your head and scoot back a little. **Esmeralda** and **Onyx** snap back, shooting daggers at the older children behind them, and packing up your stuff for you. **Harriet** seems to realize how uncomfortable you are with everyone and decides to help shoo people away so you can relax. Soon, you’re heading back inside to the classroom, with eyes still following you around. The children chattering excitedly about what you said is the only sound in the room. _You feel a slight sense of dread_ when you feel a sharp glare pierce your head, and hurry away into the building.

**_M a y b e   h o m e s c h o o l   i s   a   g o o d   i d e a   a f t e r   a l l ._ **

****

After the frightening ordeal at lunch, you decided you’d ask about a library to spend your days in for the rest of the month.

“A library?”

Miss Schepp set her pencil down, and taps her chin.

“I believe the Elementary school one is near the entrance to the branch.”

You shake your head.

**“ I   w a n t   t h e   n o r m a l   o n e   p l e a s e . ”**

She looked at you bewildered.

“Well, some of the topics at the others might be a bit too, mature, for your age.”

You shrug.

**“ D o n ’ t   c a r e .   I   l i k e   t h e   o t h e r   b o o k s   b e t t e r . _T h e y   d o n ’ t   l e a v e   o u t   a n y   i m p o r t a n t   d e t a i l s   a b o u t   i m p o r t a n t   s t u f f . ”_**

The sheep-ly teacher hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

“How about this Frisk. If you can prove to me you can handle the information in this library in three months time, I’ll write you a pass to use the other libraries.”

You think about this for a good minute. It seemed far enough, but there was still a problem with this option.

**“ H o w   d o   I   p r o v e   i t ? ”**

She smiled, going back to her writing.

“The first step will be figuring that out for yourself. Now, I believe your friends are waiting for you. Off you go.”

You nodded, and went out to the front of the school where Esmeralda and Onyx were waiting. They walked alongside you on the way to their house. You would wait there for Toriel to pick you up.

“Did you ask about the library?”

You nodded begrudgingly, and Onyx let out a chuckle.

“Did you get an answer you wanted, though?”

You huffed.

**“ N o .   I ’ l l   t e l l   y o u   a b o u t   l a t e r . ”**

Esmeralda laughed, skipping ahead a ways to walk backwards.

“This is the first time you’re coming to our house Frisk! You weren’t allowed out of the Ruins before, so you’ve never actually seen it. You’re gonna love it! I promise.”

Onyx agreed.

“I have a camera studio in the attic, so I can take pictures and stuff.”

You smile, listening along the way as your friends rant about the cool stuff at the house, getting more and more excited about seeing it as you get closer and closer to the building. The city scenery around you fades into a more residential looking area, though for some reason it’s all purple. Come to think of it, everything in the Ruins was mostly purple. Maybe it was a monster thing, liking the color purple.

You ask Esmeralda and Onyx about it. They look at each other, then shrug.

“I dunno. It’s been this way as long as I can remember. I think it’s supposed to be less purple outside the Ruins, but no one’s ever come back after leaving.”

You think on this for a moment. Onyx playfully pulls the tuft of hair on her head.

“It’s an important color. Everyone of high importance often wears it, like Toriel. And the formal uniform of the Ruins Schools use it as well for ceremonies and stuff.” He turns to you. “You got an extra uniform fitted right? That was all purple and gold and fancy?”

You nod.

**“ I t   w a s   v e r y   p r e t t y . ”**

Esmeralda huffs.

“Yeah, and it’s a pain in the butt whenever I wear it. I have to act all lady-like and proper.”

You giggle. That sounded like fun to see.

**“ C a n   I   s e e   y o u   t w o   i n   y o u r s   w h e n   w e   g e t   t h e r e ? ”**

The two seemed to ponder this request, before nodding.

“Sure. I don’t see why not. There isn’t anything too important happening.”

**Author's Note:**

> A different route where Frisk is given a normal monster childhood in the Ruins with Toriel. As normal as it can be for a human anyway.  
> If you have any suggestions for what you want to see, let me know! If you have a monster OC you'd like stuck in somewhere along the way, let me know! (I'll put the form at the end)  
> Hopefully, you guys love this idea as much as I do, and I can't wait to keep sharing it with you guys!  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> OC FORM  
> Name:  
> Species of Monster:  
> Age(Ex. Kid, adult, teen, elder):  
> Short Description:  
> Personality:  
> Family:  
> Extra:  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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